Xander Muyo
by TopQuark
Summary: Xander finds out more about himself. New Part UP. Xander goes to other side of the world Chapter 4a up.
1. Part 1 a

TITLE: Xander Muyo Prologue+Part1

_REVISION: 2.0_

AUTHOR: Top_Quark and Enterprise1701_d Also a great thanks to datexan or Tex who helped me revise this part and helped write some of the new scenes.

E-MAIL: shadow_quark@yahoo.com and Enterprise1701_d@yahoo.com

FEEDBACK: please, helps me write. I haven't decided what to do yet, I need suggestions.

N/A: Thanks to enterprise, whitewerewolf, and the others that helped with this fic. This is the first in a series of stories that will be in this AU. - TQ

DISCLAIMER: All characters form Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel belong to Joss! The Tenchi Muyo characters belong to AIC or Pioneer. I don't claim ownership. I just wanted to create a story, don't be mad.

Summary: What if Xander was not was he seemed to be, and Buffy's death signaled the beginning of his true destiny?

(Author's note: This will be a crossover with Xander getting powers. As for the crossover you don't need to know where it came from, because I will only use elements and not all of it.)

(New author's note: I assumed that Buffy died in May.)

*****

**Prologue**

**50,000 + years ago**

In a place of eternal beauty, where no matter where you turned or looked everything looked perfect, stood three goddesses, Tokimi, Washu, and Tsunami. In the center of the room, stood a large throne. It was plain looking, being made of wood and having no decorations, but it gave an aura of power and respect, its owner being a being of great importance, and two tiers below that throne stood three equally beautiful thrones. The three upper goddesses walked to their thrones and sat down and contemplated what they where about to decide.

"Sister's, I have called you forth because the darkness that was created when we were brought into this world, has been growing stronger and I fear it will grow beyond us in a few millennia. Although we have been restricted from directly fighting one on one with the evil ones, we still can act and help indirectly," said Washu, the Goddess who had long spiky red hair that flowed all the way to the floor and glowed with an eternal beauty; her beautiful green eyes portraying to her sisters her fears.

"We must destroy it before it's too late; my people can not be left to suffer because of our inability to act." The youngest of the Goddesses Tsunami showed more emotion than the others and was considered weak by her middle sister

The middle of the three sisters turned toward Tsunami and anger was emitted from her like a clear dark wave, "You can not destroy something that is always around us, which is a part of us. You can only contain it and control it so that it cannot push you around. And furthermore, your people are not the only race out in the universe that will be affected, so stop being so sentimental and protective of them."

"Both of you shut up. I called you to together so we can prepare for the future. We all can look into many possible futures, but we can not know what exactly will happen." 'Even though I love my sisters I can't stand it when they start fighting and trying to impose their own views on the other.'

"But Washu-San," whine both Tsunami and Tokimi. Even as elder goddesses they still acted like children when trying to have their elder sister join their side.

Rolling her green eyes, she still wondered how they ever got anything done when all three of them where needed. Washu went on to explain her plan and how it depended on entrusting Tsunami the most.

"Why do we have to trust her with everything? Why her people and not mine? They may be symbiotic but they are very powerful," the pride she felt for her chosen race was evident in her voice. Tsunami chose to not reply to her sister's angry words and waited for her elder sister to answer.

"Her people are the most compatible with our powers and also, in many of our visions, they will grow to be very powerful and my chosen has also joined hers as well," Washu left no room for argument and the three prepared for what they had to accomplish.

Tsunami, the beautiful blue-haired goddess, hoped the best for her people but now she had determined their future. 'May my judgment not be the downfall of my people,' she mentally cried. Her pink eyes showed the worry and sadness at what she would bring upon one of her subjects if all else failed.

**20,000+ years ago**

A cloaked figure sat in his throne in the grand palace. "Are you sure of this my daughter?"

"Yes father, I must know? How can I protect them if I do not know them," the female figure stepped away from her father and vanished from the room.

**650 years ago**

A giant ship can be seen entering the solar system. As it nears Earth, we can see that its hull is made of wood… but what kind of wood can be used for space travel? The large dome that encompasses the interior of the ship also protects the life, brain, and spirit of the ship, the space tree known as Ayeka. The ship, named after the crowned princess of the biggest empire in the galaxy, is commanded by and bonded to Prince Akiri, best friend of the lost crowned prince.

Prince Akiri exits his cryo-sleep chamber and a screen appears in front of him with Earth being displayed.

*****

(Author's note: Present day, two days after Buffy's untimely plummet to her death, as seen in 'The Gift'. The only change to the Gift is that Giles didn't kill Ben. After Buffy knocked the shit out of Glory, Glory attempted to separate her essence from Ben and travel through the portal. The problem was that her battle with the Slayer weakened her too much and she didn't survive the travel. Ben ended up leaving after he saw Buffy's body, because he blamed himself.)

Xander had sneaked into the morgue where Buffy's body was being kept. He still couldn't believe that she was gone. His first love. His best friend. His hero. Gone from his world. He had to see her one more time before he left Sunnydale for good. His relationship with Anya had basically disappeared the moment Buffy died, devastated that such a powerful person in all their lives died. The effect of Joyce's death was still there, but it appeared ten-fold, and Xander did everything he could, but Anya ended up leaving a day after the event.

All he got was a note, saying:

_Dear Xander:_

_My love and restorer of my soul, please forgive me for leaving. Sunnydale has just pushed me to my limits, I am still trying to come to grips with my mortal life and all the death is not helping. I must look for a life without Sunnydale, and it seems without you. I could never ask you to leave your friends, or Dawn. I know how you felt about Buffy and I know you will be Dawn's protector from now on. Please forgive me and I love you._

_Anya_

Trying to shake off the emptiness he felt without Anya, he made his way to where Buffy's body was stored. As he looked down at her body, he noticed how her beauty was still intact. Sadly, he noted that the sparkle that had made her unique was gone. This was the most painful thing he had ever done.

"Oh please, someone, anything, any god, or goddess, bring her back to me," he whispered silently, a small tear escaping his from his bloodshot eyes. He snorted as if anything good came from the higher-ups. He closed his eyes and bent over to give his best friend one last hug.

"Buffy, I will always love you… Please forgive me for leaving. I just can't handle it anymore. My world collapsed when you died." As he cried, he felt a sense of power flow through him.

Two small triangles appeared on his forehead and then a flash of light appeared around his body and Buffy's. The incredible grief he was going through has isolated him into his own little world of pain and misery. Thanks to his psychological prison, he failed to notice the effects, the slight drain, or the life that flowed back into Buffy's body.

"Goodbye, Buffy. You will always be one of my true loves." Xander turned around and walked toward the door of the morgue and suddenly a bright light appeared around him and he vanished right after he said, "Tsunami I am ready. Please take me to my destiny."

*****

Buffy had gained consciousness the exact moment Xander disappeared, and she didn't fail to notice it… her enhanced Slayer ears even picked up his words. But what surprised her most was his declaration of love. His words where the last thoughts she had when she slipped back into a coma.

**The Magic Box**

**One month later**

Giles was standing behind the counter looking through a new shipment of potions and books. Willow just walked into the shop and sits down next to Tara, who had been helping out Giles since Anya's departure.

"Hi Giles. Hi Honey," she greeted the two people, but her sad mood seemed to spread around the room, causing everyone's thoughts to drift back to Buffy… and Xander's disappearance.

"No word or letters from Xander, Willow?" Giles asked, actually managing to sound hopeful.

"No, Giles," the redhead sighed sadly. "And Buffy just keeps getting more depressed every time we mention him," she added, her voice portraying the gloomy cloud that had drifted above the Scooby Gang recently. Even the Scooby reference gave them a feeling of sadness as they remember the person that came up with the reference. Everyone felt the pain of Xander's disappearance, Anya's departure, and Buffy's near-death.

Buffy had come out of her coma two weeks after she was found in the morgue, alive. Since then, she had spoken barely more than two words.

All she would say was, "Xander's gone." And those words were all anyone could get from her. Even taking turns trying to cheer the blonde Slayer up, the Scooby Gang had failed to get any better results.

"What about Dawn, has she come out of her room or tried to be with Buffy?" Giles asked carefully, worriedly.

Willow managed to reply with an even sadder voice than she had used until now. "No… She won't even acknowledge that Buffy's alive. I-I think she blames Buffy for Xander's disappearance. I-I mean Buffy isn't helping the situation with Dawn by only saying that Xander's gone. We don't even know how she came back to life."

Finally, Willow's anger at the situation was starting to show as she went on. "I mean I can't help my best friends and then my best guy friend disappears. The weird feeling is that I know he is safe… I-I mean I can almost feel his essence out there. It must be all the advanced spells I have been practicing that lets me sense the ones I love," she said, finishing her little session, sat down next to Tara once more, and immediately started to cry.

Giles removed his glasses, rhythmically cleaning them with a random piece of cloth, and just let the tears flow at the loss of a dear friend. He was happy that Buffy returned, but with Xander gone, their reunion with Buffy was still a sad one. "Where can he be," he asked silently. "Why did he leave us?" he asked himself, not really expecting an answer.

At that very moment a chime was heard and "Maybe I can help with those questions."

Recognizing the voice out of millions, everyone in the shop immediately tensed up, managing to bury most of the pain and hurt deep inside. Turning toward the door, one pair of black-black witch's eyes bore at the newcomer. "Faith! What are you doing here! You're supposed to be in jail!" Willow barked out, the power she felt running through her body managing to overcome her shy and timid attitude. If the dark-haired Slayer tried anything, she would… she would do something bad, she was sure of it.

"Chill, Red. And try to relax. I was released and I am here about Xander," Faith replied slightly less cool than normal.

At the mention of Xander, everyone relaxed and the sadness took the place of the anger that was building up. Hope, even if it was only measured in slight quantities, started filling their hearts.

**Magic Box**

"Why would you know anything about Xander?" Willow's angry voice rang through the Magic Box. Even though the black-black of her eyes had died down, she still didn't trust the dark Slayer any more than she could throw her. And since Willow wasn't a particularly physically strong girl, that wasn't very far.

"Well, you see, he loves me," a big smirk was evident on Faith's face and it grew to a big smile as she saw Willow get totally pissed off. "He didn't say it so many words, but I am sure that's why he came to see me and talk to me," she added carefully now that she could see the table Willow was sitting on start to rattle. It had been some time since she had seen Willow, and Faith had no idea how far the redhead's powers had evolved. Judging by the sight of the large wooden table that was still rattling, the little redhead's powers had evolved pretty much.

"No, he never loved you," Willow said with conviction, rising from her seat.

Giles, knowing trouble when he saw it, interrupted the little global thermonuclear war that was about to befall his shop. "Well, Willow, there are a lot of things we don't know about Xander. Besides, why don't we hear Faith out before we make any judgments," he suggested, his weary voice indicating he didn't really have the strength to stop their fight, even if he had wanted to.

"Xander came to see me, according to Angel, the night that Buffy was found alive. He still believed her to be dead. We had a long talk and he listened, and was basically the X-man we love. I could see the pain behind his laugh and how he would try to not mention B or Anya. Now, don't ask me how he got in my cell, he wouldn't tell me, all I know is that when he left a big white-yellowish light surrounded him and he said, 'Now Tsunami.' I wondered what this Tsunami thing could be, but couldn't come up with anything, maybe you can G-man." Giles gave her an irritated glare and continued to listen to her.

Continuing slightly less abrasive, Faith said, "Anyway, he told me he would come and see me in about three months, so I figure he will be back in two months. I just have a feeling that he will find me anywhere I am so I figured I'd come and let you guys know and tell B personally. I have some things to go over with her."

"NO, you can't see her! You will get out of here and stop lying to us," Willow's eyes started to blacken and a dark aura started to surround her still standing frame. The table rattled.

_'Damn some little babbling witch got a fucking back bone, but no matter.'_ For once Faith did not let her anger and the situation overwhelm her, "Willow. Look… I didn't come here to fight. I just came to see B and tell her what Xander told me, OK? I am sorry you're in pain and that Xander left, but it was too much for him," she answered calmly, raising her hands slightly to show she really meant no harm.

To say that Willow was shocked would be an understatement. As far as she knew, no one had ever seen Faith apologize before.

"Ok. Fine," the witch said coolly. "I'll take you to Buffy and Giles and Tara can stay and research on what you saw happen to Xander," Willow voiced her opinion. And the way she voiced it left no room for debate.

As Faith and Willow walked towards Buffy's house, the silence between them was starting to unnerve Faith. So, she decided to talk.

"So Willow, how has the demon factor in this town been," the dark Slayer asked levelly, managing to keep the tremor out of her voice. She didn't want to let on that Willow was starting to creep her out big time.

Willow was tired of looking at the negative side of life. She had done too much of that these last couple of weeks. Besides, with only a couple of blocks left to Buffy's house, Willow didn't want to arrive there fighting.

"Well…" Willow said, thinking it over slightly. "It's been unusually quiet. It's like all the demon and vampire baddies are scared. O-or some force has been keeping them in check. I mean the two weeks Buffy was in the hospital the vamp population exploded, but then… it just died down and Spike wouldn't tell us why. All he said was," and with that, Willow managed quite a good cockney accent to imitate the bleached vampire, 'Red, you wouldn't believe me if I told you.' So, the demon factor is down, which is good with Buffy's mental condition."

Faith let Willow talk her little rant. Not wanting to admit it, but she rather enjoyed the little rants every now and then. So, trying to remain friendly, she continued, "I heard that Buffy wasn't in action… but why?" Seeing Willow's posture change, she hurriedly added, "I mean she is alive, she has her friends, and well… Xander isn't in the way anymore. Don't look at me like that, OK?" she added with a slight incline in her voice when Willow's head turned slowly and dangerously towards her. "That's what he told me. He said, that while he was around Buffy he got the feeling that she thought he was in the way." Willow relaxed marginally at the explanation. "Xander is the reason Buffy isn't 'in action', as you put it. He was the heart of both the group, and of her. And she took him for granted… and now that he is gone, she doesn't know how to cope with all the stress. She ignores everyone and just says his name. Even Angel couldn't get a response from her… save for her trying to stake him, that is."

"Holy shit, B almost staked her Angel! Now he didn't tell me that," Faith said, sounding strangely emotional all of a sudden. She and Willow continued to talk and the conversation deviated to things other than Buffy.

Faith and Willow let themselves into Buffy's house, and Dawn walked up to them and gave a death glare to Faith. "What the hell are you doing here? Don't you think Buffy is in enough pain?" the girl asked, outraged.

"Look little girl, I know how you've been treating your sister so don't give me any lectures." This statement from Faith quickly quieted Dawn, but did not lessen the glare she was giving Faith. "I didn't come here to fight you or your sister. I came to talk to her and then to you."

Faith and Willow walked to the door leading to Buffy's room and knocked before going in. The knock was just a formality, since Buffy wouldn't answer them at all, but politeness still told them to do it. As Faith walked in, she noticed Buffy sitting near the window cradling a picture of Xander. '_So, she finally realized how special he is'._ Faith was starting to get angry at how Buffy had ignored Xander over the years, and how she had treated him like less than shit. But then again, seeing her in a depression changed Faith's attitude towards Buffy quite quickly.

_'Damn, B, I've never seen you so fucked up.'_ Faith just stared at Buffy and noticed how fragile she looked. She didn't look like the almighty Slayer, nor did she seem like the Slayer that she got ignored for. '_Well, Xander, I promised that I would one day make my peace with B, even though you thought it would be one-way conversation. This will be just as good.'_

At this point Faith decided to get Buffy's attention. "Hey, B, I am back and well… I bring good news about Xander." Faith's smile vanished immediately as Buffy turned from the window and charged at her.

"Don't you mention his name bitch, or I will kill you," Buffy said dangerously. The raw passion behind Buffy's words scared Faith; she wasn't here to fight after all… she was here to help. '_Now don't do anything stupid Faith,'_ she thought to her self.

**Cemetery**

_'Well, I am back again. Just like last week. Here to kill those bastards that took her away from me. I know that they didn't do it. Not personally. Their evil was what took her away from me, and I will fight them until the day I die. I owe it to her.'_

Xander walked through one of the many cemeteries in Sunnydale as he patrolled. Since his departure, he had made it a habit to return every week and dispatch a large number of the ugliest and strongest vampires and demons he could find, before returning to his training. He was still surprised that not once had he seen any of his friends throughout the whole month. '_They must be taking Buffy's death really hard_, _but at least I'm able to keep the uglies away for them,' he thought to himself as he went through the park._

As he walked through the cemetery, he noticed ten vampires around two graves. '_Damnit. Now I have to dust these vamps and stop two freshies.'_ Xander sighed, and readied himself for battle.

"Yo! Pale, stupid and ugly!!" he yelled to the biggest of the group. Inwardly, he felt the anticipation of battle.

"Look, it's dinnertime," the leader replied to his group as they started to circle Xander. "Well if it isn't Obi Wan Kenobi. What's with the getup," the leader asked Xander, who looked at the robe he was wearing. It _did_ resemble the Jedi outfit… slightly.

"Well the Jedi look is in," Xander said, remaining still. "Come get some," he added with a smirk, which was hidden by his robe. He waited until the leader was about to strike him before he ignited his sword. His gift from the Goddess Tsunami was more than just a sword or a cool-looking rod of energy resembling a light saber. It was the second most powerful Juraian blade ever created, the second master key to all their ships.

The sound of the blade took the leader by surprise. '_This guy thinks he's a real Jedi. Easy prey… he's a lunatic!'_ The leader backed off and decided to change tactics. After all, they outnumbered the wannabe a dozen to one.

Instead of him fighting this Jedi wannabe, the leader decided he would have all of them attack him at once. He figured he could stay behind and supervise. '_The loss of a few men to get this grub taken out would be worth it',_ he thought.

"Ok boys! Surround him and when I give the word, attack!" He didn't care if Xander heard him. The leader believed in his superiority of numbers.

"So now you're getting all cowardly and not fighting me vamp to human, huh?" Xander taunted. "Come on! Show your boys you can kill me!"

This totally pissed the leader off, but the vampire, over one hundred years of age, didn't live to be that old without becoming careful.

As they circled him, Xander started to get annoyed that they wouldn't attack him. He was really fired up and wanted to test the latest bit of knowledge he had been given. As all nine of the vamps surrounded him, a grin could be seen through his hood.

"What the fuck you laughing at, Flesh Bag? My boys will mop the floor with you and then we will have a nice little snack with you," the big toothy smile that the vampire gave Xander only irritated the robed warrior more.

"Well, how about this?" Xander concentrated on his weapon and then another blade appeared at the opposite side of the other. He loved his weapon. It reminded him so much of Darth Maul, even though they were clearly on opposite sides of the Force. "The Force is weak in these young ones, prepare to be dust," Xander cried as he jumped up into the air. While descending, he made a three hundred and sixty degree spin in mid-air, blade extended. He decapitated three of the vampires in front of him. The leader, seeing that three of his gang were cut down in a matter of seconds, decided to run.

As the leader started to run, he saw something that made him laugh. The unknown Jedi-character jumped up, his double-bladed energy weapon zooming through the air, but instead of hurting the other vampires the blades extinguished leaving the man land on his feet looking confused.

Xander had it all planned how he was going to end this battle, first he was going to stab the first vampire through the gut, pull the weapon straight backwards, stab it through the second's chest. Then he was going to complete his mid-air roll and land, and start swinging the weapon as if it were a staff, decapitating the third and fourth vampire, and bring it around to take the head of vampire number one. Vampire two, who would be hurt, would just looked scared shitless as he would bring the weapon down to take the vampires head. Being all heroic he would then jump up high into the air, and landed right in front of the leader, facing him. Then after taunting him to touch the sword he could laugh as it baked to a crisp! He could easily imagine it, "Yo, fearless leader! Come back here," he would yell at the turned-tail and running vampire. "I'll tell you what. I'll give you my weapon and then we will see who is tough." All confident he would walk back, "Alright Give me the weapon and let's see how tough you are," The leader's confidence having grown tremendously, with the knowledge of having such a powerful weapon and then he would become unstoppable!

Xander internally chuckled as he thought what would happen next, "Here," he would throw the weapon to the vampire and smile.

He even imagined how confident the vampire would be, 'Not believing how gullible this mortal was, and the vampire would catch the weapon.' Immediately, the vampire started screaming, sparks of power flowing from the handle up over his arm. "Help me!" he would scream as he'd noticed his arm catch fire from holding the holy relic.

Then Xander thought he could make a great line, "Forgot to tell you that the weapon was made as and revered as a holy relic… oops!" he would laugh as he'd will the weapon into his hand and walked away from the burning vampire.

But it didn't go like that, his whole plan went to shit as he lost his concentration and the blade was extinguished. He was shocked he had practiced for hours and weeks on end on wielding this weapon, but it looked like keeping his concentration up during battle was harder than he thought. 'Shit now what!' Before he could do anything though one of the vampires kicked the Akiri-ken from his hand and the whole gang started to rain blows down on him.

The leader was extremely happy; his underlings where doing wonderfully and he had only lost the two new vampires and the weakest grunt. He watched as they totally tried to dismember their enemy.

Xander wasn't totally surprised that he fucked up, he had messed up so much in his life, why not this. 'Can't I do anything right!' He grunted as a kick connected to his backside and gave some damage to his kidneys. He knew he had to do something or else he would die. He tried to ignore all the pain that was coming from the kicks and claws that kept hitting him and opened the connection he had to the Akiri-ken. Being so weakened he was only able to summon it without the blade already active.

'I hope this works,' the wooden handle moved faster than a human or demon eye could see and appeared in his hand. Concentrating and trying to ignore the pain, he tried to use the blades nature force field to repel them, but again another kick to the head distracted him. 'Ah man that hurt!' Finally not able to move the attack stopped and the leader of the gang walked up to him.

Picking the human up by the neck Xander was turned to face the leader. "Time to die young Jedi," he said as he prepared to kill this whelp.

Spike had just witnessed the most incredible action scene he had ever seen go wrong. He has fought all his undead life and never has it been so spectacular failure of fighting ability. It must be the light sword that made it cool at first, because it only lasted like 30 seconds, the vampire laughed to himself, then he gasped as the leader screamed in rage and pain.

Xander did the only thing he could. He jabbed the hilt of his sword into the vampire's chest. The others looked on mortified as smoke billowed up from around where the sword touched him before exploding in a cloud of dust leaving only Xander gasping for breath.

Xander was released as the others moved back in shock; one of them quickly composed himself and ran at him in pure anger. Seeing the incoming bogey, Xander dived out of its way and coughed up blood as he landed on the ground. He got up and concentrated as he ignited is blade. He noticed that the blade was smaller and had was pretty dull compared to its bright bluish color now it was a sickly purple, 'damn beating took a lot out of me.'

Using all the concentration he had and trying to remember the basic skills from his training he went for an easy kill as the same vampire charged him. As the vampire charged him recklessly Xander step to the right and brought down the blade onto the vampires' head; the head flew off and landed on the ground before it turned to dust along with the rest of the body.

Spike was still shocked, there was only one person he knew that could take that kind of beating and still come out of it. "Droopy? Is that you?" The fear in Spike's voice really was evident. All that Spike could think of was to run and not cross him.

Two of the younger vampires had run off when they saw their leader explode so it only left two left. Xander didn't know if he had enough energy to take them on. He ignited the other end and noticed that the front ends blade shorted as a result. Calming himself and concentrating as hard as he could, so he could toss the blade at the two remaining vampires as they ran towards him. Controlling the blade with his mind through the link it had with him, he maneuvered it to try and cut one of the vampires in half. The vampire tried to dodge one end but the blade had twisted on its axis and cut the vampire with the opposite side.

The last vampire got to Xander before the blade reached him and the blade dropped to the ground as the two started fighting. Xander was feeling slightly better as his body healed itself faster than any other human could. The two were exchanging punches and kicks, Xander aimed a kick to the left knee but was blocked as the vampire raised his leg and took the hit. As a counter move the vampire uppercut his opponent, quickly disorienting Xander and followed up with two rapid kicks to the chest. Looking at all the options, he knew he had to use a side of himself he didn't like using. Having no choice Xander pushed all the pain and fatigue away and just charged the vampire and using his new acquired strength dove and ripped the vampires head off.

Spike made up his mind and started to leave as he saw the last vampire get decapitated. "Yo chip for brains! Turn around," a voice from behind him said. Spike turned around, slowly, and he was shocked to see the hooded figure he had just seen fight in front of him. '_How does he know I was here?' _Spike wondered._ 'I wonder what he wants… Oh shit! He wants to kill me!'_

"You know I am a friend of the Slayer, she would kill you if you hurt me," Spike tried, on his best intimidating voice as he tried to act like he didn't know it was Xander. '_Yeah more like spit on my ashes and pat you on the back,'_ he added internally.

"Now, now, Spike. We both know she would be extremely happy to see you be dust," the figure replied calmly. Spike noticed the smile coming from the hooded figure. "But how is she going to hurt me if she's dead? And I know Faith isn't out of jail yet."

_'Hmm, he doesn't know. That's good. Gives me a chance.' _"Well… you got me there mate. Who are you?"

"It doesn't matter," the hooded figure replied icily. All I need to say is that you better keep your promise to Buffy, or else…" With those threatening words, Xander removed the Akiri-ken from its place on his hip and ignited it. The light blue light sword was highlighted by a blood red glow as it lit up Xander's face. Spike was shocked to see Xander completely healed and to even see Droopy was not bringing pleasant memories to mind. He still recalled a few hours after Buffy had died and Xander confronted him.

******Flashback*******

They where at the Magic Box after taking Buffy's body to the morgue and everyone else had gone home; all except Xander, Spike, and Anya; Anya who was in the backroom of the Magic Box, talking to Giles on the phone, leaving Xander and Spike alone in the room together.

Xander slowly walked up to Spike and slowly but steadily said, "Don't ever try to touch her again. I know you wanted to carry her to the morgue. If I ever see you attempt to touch her again I will not kill you. Instead I will slowly rip you limb from limb." And the worst thing about all of this was the fact that Spike believed each and every word of it.

But what shocked Spike even more was the simple fact that Xander had grabbed him by the neck and had lifted him up with out any problem. And it didn't help that his eyes where glowing blue with a yellow outline while he was doing it, either.

Xander dropped him and told him to let Anya know that he'd be back later to talk to her.

******End of Flashback******

Xander removed his hood and slowly walked up Spike and placed part of the light blade on his arm and watched as it started to burn him. To Spike's credit he didn't run or move he just took the pain. "Spike. What did you just see?"

"I just saw you get your ass handed to you before you got your head out of your ass and it was -" he was cut off by a punch to the face and the blade placed once again against his body; on his shoulder this time.

"Wrong, you just saw nothing, you got me, nothing. Now, for the reason I came to talk to you." Xander disengaged the blade and stuffed it back from where it came and then he walked over to a bench and sat down while he waited for Spike to get a clue and follow him to the bench.

Xander just sat there, taking in his surroundings. Watching how the trees swayed with the wind and how the entrance to the cemetery was still rusted and needing of a replacement. All the times he patrolled with her and all the times they argued about him not patrolling came back to him. The outcome of one of those nights in his senior year still was clear to him and it was also one of the nights that changed who he was and what he was.


	2. Part 1 b

AN: see first part for disclaimer.

**Back in Buffy's Room**

One thought went through Buffy's mind and it was that she had to kill Faith, 'That bitch must die; she must feel the pain I went through.' She moved away from the window and charged at Faith, with the goal of ending the dark slayer's life.

Willow saw the way Buffy was acting and it reminded her of the Angel incident and she knew that she would just get in the way. No matter how much she hated Faith, this confrontation had to happen sooner or later and all she could do was stay out of the way for now. Willow left the hallway, went to the living room, and waited for the two slayers to get through with the battle that was about to happen.

Faith waited patiently as Buffy came toward her. She noticed that the blonde slayer wasn't in top shape so she wasn't worried about a long drawn out physical fight. A verbal battle might be different though. Faith easily blocked the double kick Buffy tried to hit her with and caught both punches that where aimed at her torso. "Come on B, we both know you're not in top shape. For once listen, and don't react. Stop being stubborn, its can come back to haunt you later. Trust me I know," the last part of her little speech was made in a soft, sad tone as Faith noticed that Buffy had stopped fighting and had turned towards her bed.

Deciding that Buffy wasn't going to be the first to talk Faith composed herself, "Look Buffy, I only came to make my peace with you. I came to apologize for the way things went down and to say I forgive you for also making my life hell. I know you think you were right the whole time, but you treated me like crap even before I went bad. I realize now that I had others that cared, and that I didn't need your approval for anything. I'll be going now, and I'll also be coming around helping with the slaying until Xander returns. And he'll be back, he promised me. He may not know you're alive, but he'll be back." Faith turned and made to leave glad that her practiced speech was over, but was stopped by Buffy.

"Wait!" Buffy shouted in urgency, she wanted to know more about what happened to Xander and she also wanted to set Faith straight about what she said about forgiving her. "I didn't do anything wrong!" she said, as she thought about how everything went wrong back a few years ago with Faith.

Faith stopped and sighed, she knew that they were going to have a long conversation that she was not ready for. "Look Buffy, I am not really ready to have it out with you right now. I just came to tell you I'd be around and that we will be able to talk eventually. I also think we will have to have a group talk, because I also have issues with them. And I know they have issues with me, ok." Without waiting for a reply Faith left and walked out of the house, going straight to Xander's old apartment. '_It's a good thing he paid a whole year in advance; now it's mine,' she mentally chuckled. "Thanks Xand-man. Even when you're not trying, you are always looking out for your friends." She thought about her night with him and how he had told her about his place and how she was always invited._

**On board the Tree-ship Tsunami**

Even though his wounds where already healed Xander tried to hide the blood spots on his clothing as he materialized in front of the holographic figure. He had grown used to the holographic-like woman who claimed to be the brain of the ship he currently was living in.

Tsunami looked at him with sad eyes, she knew he was hurt and that things had not gone according to his plan. "You are back to continue your training," she said evenly.

Xander snorted at the question, "Well dahh, I live here too you know. Plus looking at you helps." He smiled at her and walked through the ship going toward the training room. He had to learn to not loose his concentration, and that was what he was going to go do. Practice meditating. '_If some one ever told me I would meditate, I would have laughed at them.'_

Before he could go into the chamber though he was ported into the main tree chamber at the heart of the ship, "You must first watch this," she then moved her arm and a series of images began to form around him. First he could make out the indistinct shapes of two fighters. One was graceful and flowing in the movement and it seemed enchanting. The other figure was fighting using simple basic steps that seemed like it was barely able to maintain against the other.

The images seemed to become clearer, sharper and he could tell that the first fighter was a female and definitely in good shape, while the other was a male and seemed rather plain. As he watched he could see how graceful she was though her attacks were vicious and unrelenting, seemingly beating him down.

"This fight happened many years ago, before many of the things that you now know were ever even imagined."

It seemed that the woman would certainly win; however, just as she performed a spin attack on him he brought his sword up and severed her hand from her body. The woman howled in rage and attacked. Though see seemed graceful still, she seemed to become more vicious and savage. But what truly seemed amazing is that her hand had almost instantly returned to her.

As he watched he could see that the male fighter's quick basic moves had repeated the same thing, this time on her other hand. And, like before, it regrew, and now she had lost all of her gracefulness and had turned to savage attacks. The fight came to a sudden end when his sword pierced her throat. Xander felt a lump in his throat as he watched her hands go limp as she hung from his sword.

"What have you learned from this?"

Xander looked at her stupefied, unable to form words much less draw a meaning from it.

She looked at him with her sad eyes and shook her head sadly. "Though her fancy moves and grace looked good in a fight and caused many that knew her to run in fear, his simple and basic attacks proved to be her undoing." Smiling at him slightly, she spoke like a gentle breeze through the trees as she added, "I know your heart. Do you see where in her attack that she made her four mistakes?"

'_Four!' He cried mentally, '__I saw nothing that looked like a mistake.'_

The image played again this time slower and he saw how the woman attacked and then spun around to throw some sort of energy at him when he took her hand. "There!" he yelled happily and she smiled at him.

"Correct, do not take your eyes off your opponent."

Again it played and he watched as she began to attack viciously, "Wait! There, she got angry and attacked, right" he smiled happy that he was catching on.

"Correct, if you attack in anger you will loose."

After her hand was cut off again she charged him like a crazed animal and then was killed. "She lost control of herself," he stated sadly as it seemed so sad to see her die. Though he couldn't see either of their faces, he was still sorry for her.

"Correct again. If you loose control of your anger, then the battle is over. You have lost." She stated it simply and he realized that he had missed one.

"What, what is the fourth mistake?" He looked confused; he had watched it twice now, but where was the fourth?

"Her last mistake was not learning from the past. Once he took her right hand he performed the same move and took her other one. If you do not learn from the past, it will only cause you grief." He looked at her and he had the strange feeling that she was not just talking about sword fighting. "It is time for you to continue training, go and think on these things." She then melded back into the great tree at the center of the ship as he turned to go away.

'_Why can't she teleport me back, this ship is huge? But noooo, she teleports me to where she is, but can't send me back; and what the hell she could have easily materialized there.' He continued on his long journey to the training room, coming to the realization that it was probably her reaction to him trying to flirt with her._

As he finally neared the training room, he contemplated what he was shown and told, 'I did try to show boat before, no wonder I got my ass handed to me.' He also tried to shake the images of the fight, the beautiful woman ended up dying and he wondered what she did to deserve that. If there is one thing he learned from his fights in Sunnydale that all the vampires and demons that where overconfident and tried to show off always got killed and beaten to a pulp by Buffy. 'I won't be the one to lose because of overconfidence,' he thought as the image of him being swatted around by those exact vampires before he got his powers.

He kneeled on the mat and got into lotus position and tried to concentrate and center himself. He focused on his Jurian energy as Tsunami had taught him to, but couldn't really reach it because the battle he was shown kept playing over and over in his mind.

**Summers home**

Willow saw Faith run out of the house and wondered happened, but she had come to realize that she couldn't pry into Buffy's life right now. It was no use, because Buffy was non-responsive. She got off the couch and walked up the stairs into Buffy's room, "Hey Buffy, you ok," she softly asked.

Buffy turned toward her long time friend and didn't know what to do or say. She really didn't want to deal with explanations and being babied right now. "I am fine, I just want to be alone."

Surprised that Buffy actually said something to her, Willow smiled slightly but then frowned because it had taken Faith to get her to respond. She sighed, "Ok, then I'll be going. Call me if you need me." '_Yeah like you will!' she mentally cried. Willow turned and left the premises thinking how everything had gone so wrong and how she couldn't even reach her best friend anymore._

As Willow walked out of the room, Buffy thought about what Faith had said and how she mentioned that Xander would be back. The one thought that she kept going through her mind was that she couldn't fail her friends, her sister, and her Xander. She got up and decided to do something that was a long time waiting.

*****

Buffy was totally determined as she walked toward the room down the hallway; she was going to start getting her life together. She couldn't let it fall apart, '_I was given another chance, how many people can say they had a third chance at life. NONE!' She came upon the door and knocked._

After knocked three times, she decided to just walk in, '_I did it all the time before, why not now.' She walked into the room and what she saw almost made her cry. Her sister was asleep on her bed and around the entire bed were pictures of Xander, her mother, her, and the rest of the gang. '__She must feel so lost, like I do.'_

Walking slowly and sitting next to Dawn, Buffy looked at the pictures and a tear left her left eye. She continued to look through the pictures for about an hour, before Dawn started to awaken.

Dawn rubbed her eyes and rubbed them again as she saw her sister sitting next to her, she was shocked to see her there. '_This has to be a dream, she never leaves her room to talk or see anyone.' "Buffy?" Dawn asked in a mixture of surprise and confusion. The pain she had gone through the last couple of months didn't seem to end; now she was seeing her sister in her room, it had to be a dream. "Why can't I have a good dream?"_

Buffy smiled sadly at her sister, "It's not a dream." She felt the despair returning as she thought of the pain Dawn had to go through alone. Someone should have been there of her. '_I should have been there for her.' Even though the others were like family, they couldn't really take the place of a blood relative; she knew this because she could feel the emptiness her mother's absence left._

Dawn just stared at her sister, she was a lost for words. She had planned this happening eventually, the arguing that would go on. How she felt abandoned by everyone, by Buffy, by their mom, and by the only guy that was there the whole time, Xander. "You left me, you left me all alone and then you come back and you still ignore me like I am nothing. Is that it, do you see me as just nothing, a ball of energy without a soul?" cried Dawn as she tried to hold herself together.

Buffy wanted to scream, '_No! I don't see you like that,' but her sister's words hurt, possibly more than they were meant to. '__Maybe I was better off not coming out of my room,' she thought bitterly. Buffy bowed her head and she knew her failure was complete; no matter what else she had been good at, it no longer mattered. "I'm sorry," the words left her mouth before she could stop them, and before she would give her sister the chance to respond Buffy tried to stand and run away. Her legs failed to carry her as the images of Xander were all around her. "What have I done..." she cried before toppling over. The weight of all that was going on had proven too much for her to carry anymore._

Seeing her sister try to run and eventually fall, angered Dawn, "Is that you will do from now on, RUN AWAY!" Dawn stood up and walked towards her sister and kneeled down, '_It's time, no more beating around the bush.' "Look Buffy, I know you meant it when you said you're sorry," her voice softened as she said this and then hardened again, "but you have to stop running. Please, I don't want to be alone anymore. I'll be here for you too and I am sorry I blamed you for Xander leaving. It's not your fault, and it's not mine, it's his running like he did."_

"I've failed…" she said softly. "Everything, everyone…" her voice became lost as she tried to gather her words again. Buffy had always been proud of being able to protect her friends, her family, but there was no protection from her. She was barely able to hear her sisters' words at first, but she forced her self to try harder. Inside her head she could just picture her family and friends looking at her, 'Whatever happened to the once proud slayer, the one we all loved,' they would say to her.

"No, Buffy, you haven't failed; even though you're the slayer you can also make mistakes." She paused and took a breath, as Buffy seemed to stop and appeared to be listening. "Look I have thought about this a lot and I don't blame you for jumping or leaving," Buffy looked up from the floor at her sister, "but I do blame you when you didn't let anyone help you when you came back." Buffy started to lift herself into a sitting position as her sister continued, "I'm not capable of handling all this stress, I also know you're not, that's why we have our friends and each other."

Buffy was shocked that her sister could understand what she had felt so clearly. To say the least Buffy was impressed and the first thought that went through her mind was, '_Wow, when you get so Yoda like.' The sheer levity of her thought brought a smile to her face as she regarded her sister. "I…" her throat hurt still but she had to force the words out. "I'm sorry for leaving you." She then tried to stand and instead just moved to her knees and hugged her sister. "I… I'm not good at this."_

Pulling away from Dawn slightly she looked at her sister, "Thanks." Using her sleeve, Buffy whipped her tears away then stood slowly. "You… you hungry?" Dawn agreed and they both decided to go out and see what they could find, '_Things might just be alright, at least I can hope for it.'_

**Two months after Faith's appearance**

Faith and Buffy were slowly walking through one of the many fabulous cemeteries in Sunnydale. The latest news from Spike had warned them that a new group of vampires where trying to expand their forces to oppose the two slayers. Things between them weren't perfect, but after fighting and verbally abusing each other, the two had come to the understanding that they had to give each other another chance.

Deciding that it was time to be honest with her fellow slayer Faith gathered her wits, "Buffy, I think it's about time to let you in on more of what happened with me and Xand a couple months ago in the cell." Faith used Buffy's name not only to show her seriousness but also show that the respect that she had for her fellow Slayer. '_Damn,' Faith thought, '__how do I tell her this?'_

"Go ahead, I'm listening," she said calmly though she was more than a little apprehensive. Faith had helped her get through the last couple of weeks and it helped her forgive the rogue Slayer for her past mistakes. Not that it helped the others from forgiving her. But the more Faith revealed about that night the more Buffy was scared that she would hear something she wouldn't like.

She took a deep breath and waited for Faith as they casually patrolled the empty cemetery. '_Damnit, Spike! There aren't any vamps here! Trying to be alone with me, are you? Well, Faith ruined that.' Buffy chuckled at the thought and tried to keep the mood light, though the longer Faith paused, the more tense things felt._

"Well it's time I told it all. Well, at first, there was this blinding bluish-yellow light and there he was. He looked a wreck and his eyes seemed almost dead. He looked at me, pleading for help. I didn't tell you this, but he had been writing me in prison since the first week I was there. Finally I had a friend… Someone who cared, and forgave me for my mistakes. At first I would rip up his letters and then cry myself to sleep because I was afraid, B. Afraid that, if he really saw who I was that he would leave me." A few sniffles left her. She didn't like to cry in front of people, so she tried to contain herself.

She looked at Buffy, and remembered her promise to Xander. That she would try to live a real life and get peace between Buffy and herself. Faith sniffled some more.

A single tear can be seen flowing from Buffy's face, "I know how you feel, for so many years I kept him at arms length. Afraid of what could happen or what could be…but no more. I will not let any one else get that close to me."

Faith was shocked by Buffy's declaration, but she knew that once Xander returned, Buffy would change her tune. "Well the letters became intimate and he eventually visited me once a month. He forgave me Buffy… can you believe that? He forgave me and he said that he'd be there for me, but he's not. Not yet, anyway… but I have to hope that he will come back. Anyway, back to that night. He looked so helpless, so lost I just ignored every question of how he was there and I just hugged him. He cried for what seemed like hours and then he kissed me. He said I was one of the few that made him feel whole… which was a huge surprise. Well things expanded from there and we ended up sleeping together. Let me just tell you he was so gentle and caring, a totally different experience for me. It felt like he was afraid I would disappear."

As Faith continued to tell Buffy about her encounter with Xander, Buffy just stopped and froze. She couldn't believe what he did after what he had said. And with Faith, even though she had been making progress with Faith this was just a bit much.

Before Faith could register what was happening, she was punched in the face and was kicked into a tombstone breaking it on impact. "You Bitch," she heard from Buffy. She opened her eyes to see Buffy running from her.

"Oh shit! Good going Faith," she told her self out loud.

AN: thanks everyone for the reviews.. as to the question of the order of the Goddess.. oops my bad heheh.. I don't know if I'll change it or not yet.  Thanks for the reviews.   


	3. Part 1 c

AN: see first part for disclaimer. Part 1 C

**Present time**

**(Three months after Xander left, which means same as last scene)**

He had been training with Tsunami for the past few months working on his sword skills. After the cemetery incident, he took his training more seriously and meditated more so he could better control his power and his weapon. He wasn't shocked that it didn't come so easy to him, even after the memory transfer. The day she released the mental guards that kept him normal throughout the years was interesting and even still today he could recall the moment easily.

When Tsunami had approached him after he had begun his training, she had told him, "One more thing, Alexander."

"Xander," he had corrected hoping that he might be able to make things a little less formal all the time.

"Very well," she then moved closer to him though he could not tell if she was walking or floating. "In your past I've had to block your memories of me and your powers for your own safe keeping. Now that you have decided to begin your training it is time to remove those."

She had placed her hand on his head and he thought he should've felt pain, or a rush or something, but instead it was just the refreshing of his memories being brought back to the surface. "Three times have your mental blocks been knocked down. I am sorry for placing them but, without training, you could be a danger to your friends because of the demons it would attract. First was when you first revived Buffy, you did not know then, that something was wrong, so I just reinstated your blocks and you noticed nothing. Second was the Night you were almost turned and the third was just recently when Buffy had died."

After she had returned his memories he had sat down and actually let them wash over him, though these were not the best memories he had, they were still important. Xander could recall the Night that she was talking about in particular now. It had been back when Angelus was still around. 

*****Begin Flashback*****

He couldn't believe it. He had had another fight with Buffy about dusting Angelus. He kept telling her that Angel was gone and killing Angelus would save lives. But she wouldn't hear of either that, or the fact that Angel couldn't be saved. Finally, when he mentioned Miss Calendar's death, Buffy had kicked him out of her house.

He slowly walked home with his head bent low and a single tear leaving his eye. '_I love her so much… Why does she do this? Doesn't she know what could happen? I don't want to lose any more friends!' He didn't notice the shadow that was following or the small giggle that the shadow gave off._

He was two blocks from his house when he finally noticed the shadow moving parallel to him and he started running toward his home. Then the shadow caught up with him and knocked him down. What he felt couldn't even be described as the figure smiled down at him.

"Oh my little kitten wants to play with me, Miss Edith will be so happy. You're one special kitten. Daddy doesn't like my kitten very much, but I'll change that." She slowly walked to where he was lying on the ground.

Seeing Drusilla was not something that he wanted to have happen to him. He slowly slipped out the stake that was in his pocket and was about to jump at her when she slapped him and kicked the stake away.

"Now, kitten! Play nice or mommy will have to be rough with you. But you'll like that, so please be naughty. I like being rough. So much power, so much grief," she purred as she caressed his face.

Xander knew only one thing was crucial: survival. He also knew that Drusilla apparently liked him. So Xander did the only thing he thought he could do to get away with his life: he jumped up and kissed her. Her response was exactly what he wanted. 

"Ohhh, kitten wants to play with mommy," she purred.

He started to kiss slowly down her neck and slowly started pushing her toward the tree with a branch that he could easily push her into. As he made his way toward the tree, Drusilla started to get restless and started to claw at his clothes. He quickly reacted and started to massage her right breast, making her gasp. Just before he made it to the tree she grabbed him, and pivoted around, impaling him onto the branch.

"Did you think that you can play naughty without me knowing it kitten? Miss Edith says I should punish you," she giggled as she licked the wound on his right shoulder. 

"Mmmmmmmm, you taste wonderful." She started to prod the wound and giggled as he screamed and moaned as he started to lose consciousness.

He barely remembered her tearing him from the branch and laying him on the ground. "Now you will become one of us, then you can play with Miss Edith." Her face morphed into the vampire demon and she started to drink. "So powerful, so yummy," she slit her wrist and had him drink until he stopped breathing.

He woke to find himself in a big wonderful room, with a beautiful woman in front of him. "What happened to me?" he asked her.

"You're all right," she softly whispered.

The rest of room was made of wood that seems to shine and sparkle within the dimly lit room. The figure seemed to float in front of him and he also noticed that her reflection was not the same as he saw in front of him. It revealed another beauty that seemed about 16. Her beauty even rivaled his Buffy. '_Since when is she mine?' He questioned his own thought soon after. '__More like never will be mine,' he mentally berated himself. His lopsided smile turned into a frown and Tsunami mistook it for is displeasure at his current situation._

"Who are you and where are we?" Xander asked tentatively.

"I am Tsunami, the ship of Jurai," the woman replied softly as if that would answer everything. Tsunami knew better. She could reveal only a small amount. The rest would come later. "Jurai is the strongest empire in the universe with the help of my daughter-space trees. And yes, we are in space, orbiting the Earth, Alexander," she quickly replied as she noticed him about to ask. "We are inside of me."

"Inside of you?" he asked confused. "But you are a human being… at least you look like it. I should know better coming from the Mouth of Hell. Great, another Demon after me. I am definitely the PTB's punching bag. First a bug lady, then a mummy…" he kept babbling until he noticed the figure giggling at him. This shook him out of his little babble fest and he thought about what she said about tree ships. "I see... You are the owner of this ship."

"No. The owner is Sasami," replying once again as if that could answer everything.

"Sasami?" Now he was perplexed. Who could this Sasami person be?

"Yes...And I am the mind of this ship."

"I don't understand. Please explain," he was starting to get curious, now that he had established that she wasn't going to hurt him, like Drusilla had been.

"I am the mother of all the space trees, and we helped the Juraian people create one of the most powerful and stable empires in the whole universe. You're here because you're a descendent of two princes of that empire. One is from your paternal side and one on your maternal side. I look over all of the royal family, but you, Alexander, are special. You are the future of this world. I stopped your death and transformation, before it was too late. There will be side-effects. Only the strong Juraian energy in you allowed me to change you back, the demon was still in its weak stage when I attacked it. You will have vampire strength; its healing will combine with your Juraian enhanced healing. Other side-effects will come as time goes by. I only hope that they aren't on the evil side of the spectrum. Now here is the hard part, you see through the screen." She pointed to the big screen that appeared behind her in front of the tree. "That is Sunnydale, if you chose to help the Slayer, I will have to block your powers or you can go with me and learn to control them."

"Please take me there," Xander said almost immediately. "They're my friends… I can't just leave them."

"I cannot leave this place. Therefore, I will have to block your memory of this time, as well as your powers. I am sorry but you would be a danger to everyone on the planet without training." Xander sighed, and nodded. He understood.

"You must go alone. Can you go alone?" she asked him.

"I don't mind it. I have been alone all my life," Xander replied sadly.

"All right. Until then, trust in your own powers. I may have blocked them, but your subconscious will remember everything. Call upon them if no choice is left for you or your loved ones. Please be careful… the Hellmouth is extremely dangerous."

*********End of flashback**********

Tsunami approached him after Xander had finished an intense physical routine.

"Alexander, it is time for you to begin your next stage of training," she said. "This is a stage that has been lost to Jurai for millennia. Long ago there were two branches of the Juraian people. Those with the pure Juraian powers, and those with magical powers. Both powers came from within the person, but the magical powers also allowed the user to use nature and its surroundings. After a civil war between the two, the magical users left Jurai and came here to Earth." The sadness about what she was revealing was clear on her beautiful face.

"Are you telling me that earth was colonized by the Juraian people? How can that be? We don't have advance technology and we don't have the space trees, either… at least, last time I checked," Xander replied, confused.

"It was found that the space trees could not dwell on Earth. Earth consisted of the first humans and then the Juraian wizards, at first both cultures blended together. Once the trees set root here, they lose their powers… and that was what happened. By the time this fact was discovered, it was too late, and they had already taken root. It shortened the people's lives, but it also allowed them to concentrate only on their magical powers. Again, there was a break in the ranks as people who did not display the magical powers started to despise their brothers and relatives who did have magic. After many years of persecution, the wizards decided to hide all aspects of their powers and separate themselves form the other non-magic people. And that is how it has been for hundreds of years."

"What does this have to do with me?" Xander asked, getting into the story now.

"Alexander, don't you see? You are one of the few that has both powers I once gave the Juraian people. Both the pure Juraian energy and the magical powers run through you. You are one of the few that can actually hold your body together with that much power. Now it's time to develop the magical aspect of your power that has remained hidden up until now. Alexander, I want you to start training in magic. You will enter a new world, one with its own dangers and challenges. The people in that world know about the demons, but they do not know of the space trees and the empire. They wiped it out of their archives after the space trees took root."

"As long as I have this sword, I think I can manage," Xander said confidently, gripping his Akiri-ken with a solid grasp, as if the sword was an integral part of him. He hadn't left it since the day he bonded with it.

"The sword is only a tool for drawing and concentrating your power, Alexander. Trust your own powers. Have faith in them, and they will help you well in life," Tsunami told him.

"My power? Mine?" he asked, confused. He had learned to use his weapon and was still learning to do so. He trusted it with his life, but his own power still frightened him. He could understand an energy weapon, sure; but power within himself, no. He was still thinking the same way he did while in Sunnydale all those years: he wasn't supposed to have powers. The others had their powers.

"I will teleport you to a train station in London, England. From there, you will arrive at Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft. The school headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, will provide all that is needed. He knows about me and he is the only magic user I trust with that knowledge. Be careful and enjoy yourself," she said, handing him a letter with the Hogwarts seal and a train ticket.

"I have no problem with going to school," Xander said, confidently. "But before I go I have to fulfill a promise I made to a friend and make one last check on Sunnydale."

"Very well," Tsunami answered, dipping her head, acknowledging the request, and knowing how important his promises are to him. "But if you are talking about seeing Faith: she was released in June from prison. She resides in Sunnydale." Before Xander could respond to her not telling him this information sooner, Tsunami extended her powers toward him and he vanished.

**Alley next to the Magic Box **

**Sunnydale, CA**

**Night time**

Xander appeared in the alley next to the Magic Box, not where he wanted to be. He had been trying to avoid the gang for the last few months, and now Tsunami had dropped him about as close as she could get him without actually dropping him right in the middle of a meeting.

He knew that, if they saw him, they would want him to stay with them. He couldn't stay now, now that he knew what his purpose in life was. "Well, I better get going before anyone sees me." But before he made a run for it, he couldn't resist throwing just one look through the back room window.

He slowly opened the back door to the training room. From the towels sprawled out on the floor and then seeing the dummy he built was totally destroyed, he deduced that the training room had been used recently. '_Wow! Faith must be pissed to totally destroy it like that. Hmm… I wonder if Giles can fix it. Probably not,'_ he mentally chuckled. Making his way to the door towards the front room, he came to a quick stop and slowly pushed the door slightly to peek through. What he saw shook him to his core.

He saw Buffy and Willow talking in the room. Seeing her again… alive… after all this time… Xander's emotions went into overload, and he could feel his knees start to buckle. He was about to run when the look on Buffy's face, as well as the energetic manner in which she was waving her hands, snapped him out of his panic attack.

**Front room**

**Magic Box**

Willow had closed the store as soon as Buffy had run into the store in tears. Now she was waiting for Buffy to stop pacing and start telling her what had happened. "What happened, Buffy? What got you so worked up? Is it Faith? Did she do something?" Willow asked the later with a slightly elevated voice, indicating that her protective streak towards her friend was flaring up again.

Willow's remark only got Buffy's emotions more worked up. She paced more and kept repeating. "That bitch!" over and over. Finally Willow got tired of Buffy's routine, grabbed her, and sat her down in the chair next to hers.

"Ok Buffy. Tell me what happened." Willow took her seat and calmly waited for her friend to start telling.

In the backroom Xander also waited and hoped it wasn't bad news. Even though he should know better than to hope… something deep inside of him warned him that something was seriously wrong, the part of himself that was his warrior's instinct.

Buffy took a big breath and said, "Faith and I where patrolling and just getting along. You know; we have been getting closer and becoming friends again. And then she just got all sad and told me some of what happened with her and Xander," Buffy sobbed, taking another breath, trying to recompose herself.

"What happened, Buffy?" Willow was still of the opinion that Faith couldn't be trusted. She was also jealous of how fast Faith and Buffy had gotten over what happened in the past. What really irked her was that Faith was the one that helped Buffy break through her mental breakdown, something that she herself hadn't been able to do.

In the backroom, Xander gulped, patted his instincts on the back, and rubbed his forehead from the sweat that was forming. He knew exactly where this was going, and he didn't like this one bit.

"That bastard, if I ever see him I'll cut it off. I will definitely cut it off!" Buffy shouted, waving her arms in a slash motion, one that scared Willow a little bit. "He slept with her, on the same day I came back, he slept with her!" she shouted, starting to cry again.

Willow moved her chair up to Buffy and hugged her friend. "Maybe he was lonely, or lost. I mean your death did hit us all hard. It's Faith's fault, she took advantage of him."

"NOOOOO!" Buffy screamed. "Don't defend him. Faith was in jail, he went to her. He took advantage of her friendship toward him!"

The pain that Xander was feeling was far beyond anything he could describe. First the elation that she was alive and then the pain from her words… it was too hard for him to handle. Never in his life had he felt so much emotional pain, not even at her death. Maybe it was because he had let her down, maybe because he soiled her memory, or maybe it was because he felt the truth in all her words. '_I've hurt the two people that are closest to my heart! I don't deserve them. I have to go. But I promised Faith that I would see her about this time… But I can't. Not now. Not like this. A letter will have to do,'_ Xander thought.

**Xander's old apartment**

Xander was now the one pacing back and forth. He didn't know what to do. The recent events had just been too much. He finally sat down and wrote the letter for Faith. He felt like crap, all he ever did was hurt the people he loved. This was so much like the 'fluke', but worse. He was so agitated he didn't notice that half the stuff in his room was not his and that it was feminine in nature.

With his heavy heart he picked up the letter and made his way to the nearest cemetery to lessen the tension for the Slayers. '_The least I can do is kill something for them,'_ his thoughts were morbid to say the least.

Walking through the streets of Sunnydale seemed to calm him down, but the lingering pain of hurting the two women that he would do anything for, was still there. He had been going through the conversation Buffy had with Willow and the events that night he visited Faith. The more we went through the memories the more he believed Buffy's assessment.

He made his way into the nearest cemetery. Ironically, it was named after the person most responsible for the people in it, Mayor Wilkins. _Well, Wilky did leave with a bang._ He tried to figure out how he was going to remedy the situation with the two Slayers, but nothing he thought up could help him. His internal contemplation was interrupted, when he noticed that a heavy light was coming from the mausoleum a few feet in front of him.

"What the fuck," he whispered. "Better not be any vamps, I'm not in the mood for any of them. I want a challenge." He slowly made his way toward the mausoleum using all the stealth training he got, but of course being Xander; he stepped on a branch. The crack of the branch seemed extremely loud to him. However loud it was, it wasn't enough to alert the beings in the crypt. He lowered himself next to the entrance and listened to what was being said.

"We have to stop the Slayers. Both of them together have almost decimated our forces. Only together can we have a chance," Xander heard something say. The voice was dark and malicious, and Xander couldn't resist throwing a peek inside. He soon pulled his head away from the entrance, and wished he hadn't looked.

Seven vampires who seemed to worship the Drane-ra Demon were there as well as half a dozen Chaos demons. They seemed to hang on every word that left the Drane-ra's malformed mouth. "But the Slayers have never been beaten," one of the vampires said. Apparently, the other vampires agreed with that assessment, and some hubbub started rising, which Xander could faintly make out as questions on how to deal with two pissed-off Slayers.

"I have been watching them for years. Beating them now will be an easy task. They have always had the foolish human male to protect them and help them at their greatest time of need. He is gone, and defeating them without him will be an easy task." His confidence radiated out toward the others and it seemed to help the moral.

Xander couldn't believe his eyes or ears. A dozen vampires and demons working together on trying to kill the people that meant everything to him? _So they think with me gone that they can't defend themselves, what load of shit. But since I am here I might as help lessen their numbers._

He scanned the room trying to familiarize himself with the opposition and with the room. The room looked like the typical crypt, resembling Spike's lovely home. To the right of the entrance, he noticed Catherine Madison, who appeared to have been turned. '_Great now I have to deal with a psycho-vampire witch. At least now she can stay gone. How in HELL did she get out of that trophy? Damn it. I should have thought of it then. Of course, when we blew up the school it must have knocked her out. Looks like the retard Lyle Gorche is back. That idiot couldn't do anything right, he'll be an easy kill.'_ Next to Lyle Gorche was some one that almost made Xander laugh and reveal his position.

Lyle Gorche was awed by the Drane-ra. He had heard that nothing could kill the demon, not even decapitation. His new girlfriend was beginning to irritate him, though. She kept blabbering about how the ugly Drane-ra should listen to _her_, since she was as powerful as Spike.

"You know, he isn't all that tough. I fought Angel, Buffy, and even Spike. And what's this crap he is talking about human male, the only human male with Buffy is Xander. And let me tell you: he is such a lousy fighter, I kicked his ass and he ran away, crying like a girl. He punches like a girl without a fashion sense. I still don't understand what Cordelia saw in him. I mean, he's weak and he didn't have any money, or a descent car," Harmony kept talking and rambling on and on.

Finally Lyle had enough, "Shut the fuck up wench before I stake you."

Xander noticed that the two vampires moved away from the others and started verbally abusing each other. He knew he couldn't fight them all, but he could try. There was only one way he could possible gain an upper hand so he stood up and walked into the room.

The moment he entered, everyone around him just stopped what they where doing and just stared at him.

The Drane-ra was shocked at the evil radiating from the human, it was all encompassing and it gave him a perverse tingle of joy just to be in its presence. He couldn't lose his dominant hold on the group now, "Who the hell are you, mortal? Why have you disturbed us? Do you have a death wish? In that case, I will be more than happy to fulfill that wish," Drane-ra growled at Xander.

Xander's face was concealed by the hood on the robe he wore, "You dare enter my territory and try to harm my enemies?!" Xander barked, trying his best to sound like an 'evil overlord'. "I do not believe in 'the enemies of my enemies are my friends'. Anyone who tries to hurt the Slayers, other than me, will wish for death." He emphasized his point by increasing the dark atmosphere he was radiating. He mentally snickered. If they only knew that it was the 'foolish boy'. "Drane-ra. I know what kills your kind. I wouldn't challenge me if I where you."

"You DARE challenge me boy, I'll have...."

"Shut the fuck up!!" Xander bellowed, cutting off the demon's reply. "Look at you!" Xander continued, his arms sweeping around the room. "Look at what you have here! This group is pathetic! I feel like killing myself for being in the same room, let alone _work _with them! Although I do might add that the lovely Catherine Madison is a nice touch." '_Can't have them all charge at me, especially psycho witch there.' _He turned toward her, and noticed that the vampire in question gave him a seductive smile, which only caused him to shiver in disgust.

"Hmm... let's see about five fledgling vamps and a bunch of walking chaos demons. I heard a story that a pathetic vampire named Spike lost his love to a Chaos demon. You demons lower yourself to associate with vamps, that's just stupid," Xander finished.

Lyle who was behind Xander slowly made his way toward him, using all the vampire stealth he had.

"Hey! My Spikey is not pathetic, even though he tried to stake me." Not one with much mass upstairs, Harmony was about to charge him when Lyle interrupted her.

"Hey you're mine, stop mentioning that loser..." Realizing his mistake too late Lyle was knocked back by a punch to the chest from Xander.

"Don't sneak up on me and don't fuck with me. You want a real leader, then I am it. Anyone care to challenge me, feel free come and get some." He noticed that the Drane-ra, Catherine, and four chaos demons started to leave as he raised his aura. '_I guess they're not as dumb as I thought. But it still leaves two chaos demons and seven vampires. What to do?'_

He was able to dodge the two Chaos demons that attacked him immediately. But the vampires thought it meant he was a weakling and attacked him.

The fledglings attacked him en masse and started to pound on him, kicking whenever they saw an opening. "Fuck," grunted Xander as another kick hit him in the ribs. He jumped above and over the vampires. As he landed, he ignited both sides of the Akiri-ken and started to hack them apart, not really using any stylish moves, but going for quick kills.

Seeing the vampires get defeated so easily, the Chaos demons ran through the entrance into the cemetery. Limping in pursuit, Xander was not happy and noticed that one of the Chaos demons had turned around and was charging him. '_Not so smart is it?'_ Xander asked himself, smiling slightly.

*****

Having been punched by Buffy didn't make for a happy Faith. '_I knew she would do that, I just knew it. Attack first; ask questions later, just like me.'_ She chuckled at the last part. Rubbing her bruised cheek, she noticed a couple of chaos demons running from a crypt to her left.

"Now what could scare chaos demons, hmm?" She learned from the past not to go running into things, but that didn't stop her from slowly jogging into trouble.

She saw a figure blast past her from the crypt, it had a brown cloak and he seemed to be running faster than even she could go. One thing popped into her head, 'Demon, Demon, Demon, powerful at that.' She could feel the dark aura flowing from it; it made her skin crawl.

"Hey you," she wanted to kill him before he became a threat. The chaos demons could wait. The figure just ignored her and continued to catch up to the Chaos demons.

It seemed that the Chaos demons sensed him before he slowed down because one of them backhanded him through the air. "What the fuck," she was shocked to see that the other Chaos demon's head just slide off.

She ran toward the Chaos demon noticing that it was distracted and staked it, "Now that was too easy."

*****

"Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck! First I have to run after those fucks and then I get distracted and get backhanded. Now what?" He slowly got up, scanned the cemetery, and tried to see who had called him before.

The second he noticed the figure that just staked the Chaos demon, he froze. Nothing, absolutely nothing was being processed in his mind. As she turned toward him, and slowly and seductively stalked towards him he snapped out of his trance. He dropped the letter that he wrote, knowing she would find it.

"Goodbye," he said as a big light surrounded him and he was gone.

*****

"Looks like droopy made another round," Spike whispered to himself. He made his way to where Xander had been, and quickly picked up the letter before Faith could see what he was doing.

Faith was to say the least confused, she had just been in front of a demon, a very powerful one and it suddenly froze and its aura changed. The change was so fast and complete it shook her up. "Spike. Did you just see what I saw?" the expression on Faith's face was priceless. 

Spiked laughed, "You know, pet, I have never seen you so shocked before. And yeah, I saw the whole light show. Bloody hell, it gave me a headache just looking at it."

"He sounded familiar… I just can't figure who it was, but he totally had my Slayer sense going crazy. It felt like he gave off a cloud of evil." She thought about it and just for a brief second, the presence was familiar, and comforting, _'but how could a demon have that kind of feeling?'_

Her earlier statement caused Spike to stumble and laugh, "Yeah, evil, right."

Being laughed at never really went well with Faith. Snapping out of her confusion she grabbed Spike by the neck and lifted him off the ground, "What the fuck do you know?"

'_Shit a pissed off psycho-slayer, not what I need.' "I don't know anything, alright? Look, if I find out anything I'll let you know." _

She dropped him and he ran off. "Fucking bitch, I'll get you and the fucking wanker too," he mumbled as he ran towards his crypt. "Now I wonder what this letter says," he laughed all the way home.

**From here we will have a Harry Potter Crossover, Plus I will be using characters from my friend Enterprise, I will also be posting Coming of Age on Fanfiction.net next, it's a side story that introduces two characters that will be used in this story. AN: thanks everyone for the reviews.. as to the question of the order of the Goddess.. oops my bad heheh.. I don't know if I'll change it or not yet.  Thanks for the reviews.   And no more blackmailing, Ill post as I can J **

  
  
 


	4. Part 1 d

AN: see first part for disclaimer. Part 1D

**Outside King's Cross **

**London, England**

**1 September**

"Hmm, let's see… where am I going? Oh, yeah, platform nine and three-quarters for 11 o'clock. OK!" Xander just wandered through the station for about thirty minutes before he got frustrated and asked the nearest person where the platform was. "Excuse me sir, can you tell me where platform 9 and ¾ is?"

"What are you talking about boy? There is no such place," the old British man looked at him in disgust. "Damn Yanks," he muttered as he walked away.

"Great. Just great. Couldn't she just port me to the damn platform? Why outside?" He kept mumbling as he walked towards the intersection between platform 9 and 10. '_No Alexander, I couldn't. The platform is protected by magic and it would disturb too many people to break it. The alley was a much better place.'_ He actually fell over when he heard the voice in his head.

_'What the hell? How can I hear you?'_ Xander thought back to his mentor.

_'We are connected through the Akiri-ken,'_ the space-tree commented as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

_'Ok, but please stay out of my head ok. It makes me uncomfortable,'_ Xander replied, getting up, and checking to see if he hadn't drawn too much attention to himself.

_'Very well, Alexander.'_ It sounded as if Tsunami was not happy with his request.

Xander just stared at the big plastic number nine over one platform and the big number ten over the one next to it, and in the middle was nothing but a wall.

Then he noticed a group of people behind him and caught a few words of what they were saying.

"Harry, you go first, I hate platform 9 and ¾..."

Xander made a quick 180 spin and looked at the group. He noticed a boy with black hair and ragged old clothes on with a cart with an owl and a trunk run towards the walk between the two platforms. He was about to yell at the kid when the boy vanished.

"What…?" he stood there shocked. But then he remembered Tsunami mentioning magic and then it made sense.

"Oh great, a muggle," replied one of the red headed boys. Xander inspected the family closer and noticed that all of them had flaming red hair and freckles. "Mom, can I use the memory charm on him please?" the boy seemed to whine at his mother.

"Now Fred, be quiet, I'll do it." The plump older woman took out what appeared to be a wand, but was interrupted before she could do anything.

"Hold up, wait a second. What's a muggle? And maybe you can help me. I'm looking for platform 9 ¾. And please, no magic. I've had enough magic in my life," Xander asked the woman.

The family stood there, shocked. The older woman stepped up to him, "What do you want with platform 9 and ¾?" She asked, staring at him as if daring him to lie.

Running his hands through his hair, Xander replied, "Well, I am going to Hogwarts for some training. Look, I even have a train ticket." Xander pulled out his train ticket to prove his story.

"Oh well, why didn't you mention the school? Just follow my son Ron here," she motioned to a boy that seemed to be about 15 years old.

"Thanks. I thought I was lost," Xander replied honestly.

"Not a problem, dear. But aren't you a little old to be going to Hogwarts for the first time?" she asked, seemingly kinder to him after he mentioned Hogwarts.

He just shrugged as he waited for his turn to go through with the boy named Ron, when they noticed a couple of really beautiful girls walk up to the same wall. To Xander, and Ron, they looked like angels come down from heaven, their shoulder-long chestnut hair tied in a pony-tail, their tanned skin even and spotless, and both had a pair of the most intense curiously-green eyes Xander had ever seen.

"We walked all over the station," the first girl said to her companion, seemingly examining the wall. "Logic dictates that nine and three-quarters is through here."

"It's a wall, April," the second girl replied.

"Yes, but we _are_ going to a magic-school, so…" the first girl, now known as April, said. She extended her arm, and it went right through the wall. "See? Holographic."

The second girl smiled, and shook her head. "You're something, Kawaii," the second girl, still nameless, said as she and her partner disappeared through the holographic wall.

Xander following his guide, and was awed at what he saw. He turned around and saw a wrought-iron archway where the barrier had been, with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it. A scarlet engine, with the name Hogwarts Express plastered on the front, was waiting next to the platform, which was packed with people. He turned and watched as Ron's owl, '_What do they need owls for_?' Xander asked himself, noticing that the animal began hopping up and down in its small cage and twittered madly when he saw all the people.

"Shut up, Pig," said Ron as he made his way towards one of the compartments.

_'Why would anyone name an owl Pig?'_ Xander mentally chuckled.

***

Faith and Buffy had gotten back to speaking terms … a fact, which has confused Faith to no end. If she didn't know better, it seemed that Buffy didn't even blame her anymore and blamed Xander. '_Yeah, right. B loves him,'_ Faith thought to herself.

_'It's a good thing she let me stay at her home; I was getting tired of those shitty motels.'_ She walked into the Summers' kitchen, and passed by Dawn. "Hey kiddo, how's it going? You start school this week right."

"Don't talk to me, you skank! You might have helped Buffy out of her funk but I don't want you here." Dawn turned red and quickly left the kitchen towards her room.

_'Shit man, she is never going to get over what I did. I apologized, what else she want me to do. Well I am living here I guess I'll just confront her and at least try to be civil.' _Faith then turned and made her way towards Dawn's room.

***

Dawn lay on her bed crying. She was still angry at Faith, '_Why should I be, it's not like any of the memories I have of her are real. But they hurt so much. I trusted her. I thought she was so cool. She betrayed me… us, why for some laughs. I bet the spell that put the memories in everyone else's minds didn't affect her, she just knows me as the fake sister.'_

She popped in her Kittie CD and started to listen to Brackish when a knock was heard at her door. She ignored it and put the music louder. She fell back onto her bed, and closed her eyes. Then someone turned off the stereo, and Dawn's eyes flew open.

"Nice taste in music, I am glad to see you still have the CD I gave you." Faith made her way to the bed and sat next to where Dawn was laying.

"Faith, just leave me alone, ok? I'm not Buffy. You can't convince me that you're good." She regretted her words as soon as she saw the hurt in Faith's face. She was almost sure that a tear was threatening to fall, '_But Faith never cries.'_ "Look, I'm sorry, ok? What do you want?" She was not going to be nice, not mean but not nice either.

Faith looked around the room nervously and then steadied her nerves. "Look, Dawn, I am sorry for what I did in the past. I know I betrayed and hurt you, I didn't mean to, I had a lot of shit going on. You and Xander," Faith noticed Dawn cringe at the mention of the missing man in their lives. "I am sorry I knocked you and your mom out." The sorrow was evident in her eyes.

Dawn sat up quickly, shocked by what she heard, '_She doesn't know, she doesn't know.'_ Dawn didn't know if she should torture Faith or just tell her.

"Look Dawn, I know we won't be cool for a while, but I am not going anywhere and I am going to help you guys, ok?" Faith softened her voice, something that she had recently been trying to perfect. '_Being nice is harder than being mean. Argh.'_

"Yeah, I understand, but I need time. Can you please go; I want to be left alone."

Faith got up and before walking out of the room, "Look, kid, if you need someone to talk to, I'm here and give your sis a chance too. She's trying to deal with all this, so don't take her distance as an insult."

Left alone in her room, Dawn pulled out her diary and started to write in it.

***

September 1st

Well, school will be starting again in a few days, what a bummer. Buffy is getting better, but she doesn't talk to anyone other than Faith. I am worried about my sister, but at least she's staying away from my Spike.

Speaking of Spike: he's been ignoring us, which has pissed me off. Another day without Xander, I am so over my crush. He left us, me.

Anyway, I had a talk with Faith, and I don't know if I trust her yet.

**Magic Box**

Willow was pissed to say the least, "Why the hell is Buffy letting Faith stay at her house? I don't get it! I know she doesn't blame Faith, but **I still think it was her and not Xander. I mean, come on! There is no way he could have taken advantage of her." She kept babbling on how Faith was as evil as she was a bitch, while Tara just listened.**

"But honey, we don't really know what happened." As always Tara was trying to be reasonable about what was going on. "He didn't leave you on purpose, Willow. He'll come back." Finally mentioning what was really bothering Willow, Tara braced herself for her girlfriend to explode. She got the exact opposite.

"Do you think it was because I was trying to convince him to bring back Buffy with dark magic? Tara, I need him, he's my best friend, it's so hard! And Buffy's ignoring me, I can't believe Faith, Faith was able to help her and I wasn't."

"Faith's a Slayer and it could be the reason. I don't know what went on with them, but all that matters is that Buffy is better, not who helped her get there, Willow," Tara's voice had a little hint of disappointment in it.

Willow collapsed on the couch and started to cry, "B… but she won't even talk to me about it, maybe I can look through one of the magic books."

"No Willow, no spells," the anger from Tara was evident in her slightly louder than usual voice.

"Fine, but what else am I suppose to do? I mean Faith sleeps with Xander again and Buffy's ok with it. Well I am not ok with it." Her resolve face made itself present.

**Hogwarts Express**

Seeing that most of the carriages were already packed with students, Xander opted to enter one of the last carriages. He sat himself at the end of the carriage and tried to conceal himself as best he could, not wanting to be interrupted by students. He instead chose to observe them and see how they interacted. His time with Tsunami gave him time to contemplate how different everyone was. There were aliens out there, wizards, witches, demons, both good and bad, and others. And to think that the power of the wizards is from another planet, yet it grew here instead of being suppressed, as on Jurai. Xander's mind boggled at all the new information.

He noticed that the boy Ron and his friends had sat at the front of the compartment, so he decided to watch them.

"Harry! How was your summer? You didn't respond to my letters. Did the Dursley's bother you again?" Ron sounded cheery and glad to be with his friends again.

"Summer was ok; Dursley's left me alone since I got permission to use magic at home. And Dumbledore kept me updated on Voldemort's actions." Harry seemed sad and depressed and just seemed to just want to get the conversation over.

Ron gasped at the mention of You Know Who's name. "Blimey Harry, please don't say his name."

A growl of anger was heard from Harry as he got up and started yelling, "I will not call him You Know Who, I'll use his name and honor the people that have fought against him!" Harry got up from his seat next to Ron and sat next a girl with brown hair that seemed like she took a lot of time maintaining it.

Xander was confused by the boy named Harry's reaction to his friend but chose to ignore it for now. "Hmm interesting, I wonder if they have any Twinkies." His hunger was finally catching up to him; trying his best to ignore it he turned his attention to the boy and girl in the front.

"Harry, how are you really doing? If you need someone to talk to I am here, ok? We're friends and I'll help you anyway I can," her voice was full of love and caring.

"Thanks Hermione, that means a lot to me. But for now I'm ok." Both of them just seemed to relax into their seats and look out the windows as the train started to move out of the station.

So wrapped up into the others, Xander didn't notice the boy that had asked him to sit next to him. "Excuse me, but can I sit here. The other carriages are really loud and I just want some quiet."

Xander turned to look at a tall young man that had long dreadlocks and a pair of glasses. "Sure no problem, by the way my name's Xander."

"My name is Pumpkin, Pumpkin Escobar," Pumpkin smiled at Xander and extended his hand.

Xander accepted the handshake and laughed, "You wouldn't happen to work in Los Angeles local 305." Xander was trying really hard not to laugh.

"Nah, but you want some crack, and get high?" Pumpkin laughed and waved his hands around in an excited way.

Pumpkin's actions only served to have Xander laugh and slide off his seat. "Cool man, that movie was great. So I take it you're from the states, you have no accent and you know a fun flick when you see it." Xander had a big smile and was relaxing for the first time since he left to train with Tsunami. Out of the corner of his eye Xander noticed that the others in the carriage had turned and stared at him for a couple of seconds. '_Yeah, me funny man. Well someone had to brighten up the gloomy atmosphere.'_

"Yeah, I am from Jersey, but my parents moved to London 7 years ago. I still keep in touch with my pals there; I never did get an accent. Thank God. By the way I never seen you at Hogwarts, what year are you?"

"This is my first visit to Hogwarts; I am to meet with the headmaster. How about you, how many years have you been at Hogwarts?" Xander was starting to feel uncomfortable about all the questions but decided he needed a friend in the school and well he liked Pumpkin. Before Pumpkin could answer, "You wouldn't happen to have any Twinkies on you."

Pumpkin chuckled, "Nah dude, sorry. As to your other questions, it takes seven years to complete Hogwarts wizard training, and thank god it's my last year..."

_'Fuck, I can't be here that long. Oh well got to do what I got to do,' _Xander thought

Pumpkins eyes widen, "You mean your a first year, you must be the oldest first year ever. Not that it's a bad thing, wow."

"Yep. I'm a newbie," Xander chuckled. He turned towards the window and noticed that the train was taking them out of London. He gazed at the fields of sheep and cows. '_Well you don't see that those in Sunnydale,'_ he mentally chuckled. "Anyway so tell me about Hogwarts, I don't know much about it."

As they talked about the school and wizards in general, a smiling, dimpled woman slid next to them and "Anything off the cart, dears?" Xander raised an eyebrow at her question.

'_Finally, food.' Xander got up immediately and was followed by Pumpkin as they went out into the corridor. "Finally Twinkies and more goodies. Hey, where are the Twinkies?"_

Pumpkin just laughed, "Sorry only wizard goodies here, but they're just as good, if not better."

Xander looked at everything they had, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs, '_ew, frogs,' Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands, and other strange things. "Damn I only have US currency."_

"Don't worry dude, I have it covered. Just pick anything you want and when we get a chance to go to Goblin Bank in Hogsmeade we'll change your money to wizard currency."

Taking his new friends advice, Xander got some of everything and waited as Pumpkin paid.

After the duo had retaken their seats, and Xander had pried open his package of Blowing Gum, their conversation was interrupted.

"Excuse us for bothering," a velvety-soft vice said, making both Xander and Pumpkin look up. Before them stood the two beauties Xander had seen at the wall earlier. "Are those seats taken?" the first girl asked, the one who had figured out what the wall was all about.

"Eh…" Xander replied dumb, star struck.

"Not in the least," Pumpkin replied, motioning for the empty seats. "I've never seen you two before… and believe me when I say that I would never forget faces like yours."

The two girls smiled sweetly at him, causing Pumpkin's mind to blow into orbit.

"We're new," The first girl answered. "I'm April. This is Ariana."

"I'm Xander," Xander answered, finally managing to compose himself. "Alexander Lavelle Harris, at your service," he added theatrically. April and Ariana smiled at him. "I'm new as well," he heard himself say over the thumping of his heart and through the fog that turned his brain to cotton.

"Pumpkin. Pumpkin Escobar," Pumpkin said. "Last year, unfortunately… I will only be graced by your presence for one year."

April and Ariana seemed to enjoy that remark, because they chuckled slightly. Soon, Xander and Pumpkin resumed their earlier conversation, every now and then throwing a concerned look at the two girls, who had lapsed into silence and were looking sadly at the window.

*****

Faith ran around her room like a maniac, she was trying to stuff as many things in her duffle bag as she could. She had to get away from here as fast as she could, already having called the bus station she knew she had an hour before the last bus of the day left. She sat down in the kitchen table and started to write letters for Buffy and Dawn.

Just then Buffy walked in through the kitchen door. "Hey, Faith, how's it going? What's wrong?"

Buffy had never seen Faith showing so much emotion, she looked haunted and scared. The only time she had seen Faith this scared was when they talked about her night with Xander. "Is something bothering you," Buffy put in as much comforting emotion as she could. Things with Faith weren't perfect, but she promised herself that she wouldn't let Faith go back towards the darkness. "You can talk to me."

Buffy walked around the round table and moved a chair next to Faith; she did not fail to see the duffle bag full of Faith's things. She chose to ignore it for now. "Did something happen with Dawn or one of the others?"

Faith looked scared, even at the verge of tears and this puzzled and worried Buffy. In all the years of knowing Faith, she never showed her emotions especially if she was scared. "Go to the bathroom all your questions will be answered there."

Buffy got up and ran to the bathroom, expecting something terrible when she got there, but all she saw was a package and its contents. She studied the contents carefully, not hearing the door closing in the kitchen. "Oh my god," she quickly stated and ran towards the kitchen

"Faith!" she yelled as she noticed that Faith was gone. She ran outside and noticed Faith running at the end of the block.

Catching up to Faith, "Don't run Faith, I'm your friend. I'm here for you."

Faith was actually crying, "Shut up, B. I don't need your pity or your help. I am getting out of this hell hole and everyone that has brought me pain."

"You're not alone Faith, I'm here to help. Please don't run, you've helped me so much and I plan to help you through this. So is it true, is it his?" Buffy was confused she was happy and sad at the same time, but one emotion stood clear, confusion.

"Yeah, I am pregnant and it's Xander's. Jeeze Buffy I haven't been with anyone other than him in years."

Buffy felt shameful about asking her who the father was. "Let's go home and talk."

"No Buffy, I am leaving." Faith turned to leave but was stopped by a firm grip on her shoulder by Buffy. "Don't touch me B; I don't want to hurt you." She shrugged off the hand and continued on her way, until Buffy ran and blocked her way and got into a fighting stance.

"If you want a fight, then fine. We'll fight, but you're not leaving."

"Buffy I'm three months pregnant, I know it ain't showing but you can hurt the baby."

"I'm not letting you go Faith." Buffy put her hands on her hips and waited for Faith's reply.

"Why? I'm pregnant; I'll just be a burden on you. Not even the father of the baby wants me." Faith stared crying and almost fell as her knees gave out, but was caught by Buffy.

Buffy grabbed her into a hug and rocked her, "Look Faith we are working things out, and I want to help. I know Xander isn't here, but who needs him. I'll help you, I want to help you."

"I am scared B, I don't know what to do. I can't take care of myself, let alone a baby."

"Don't worry we'll figure this out together." They slowly got up and made their way to the house.


	5. Note to Readers

HI GUYS THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS. THIS IS JUST A QUICK NOTE! Do not read Xander Muyo on Enterprise's site it has old versions of the story and it has not been revised.  If you want to read it fine, but I will be changed some scenes and adding some.  He said he will be updating it this weekend.  Also thanks for the reviews again, I see that a lot of you want Xander to go back, well he wont.  But since everyone wants him to go, I might have him go earlier than I expected him to.J


	6. Side Story: Coming of Age

**Coming of Age**

A story by Enterprise1701_d, a prequel to Xander Muyo a story by Top_Quark.

Top_Quark\Note:  Well I am  not the author,  Enterprise wrote this story when I asked him for some cool charactsr to use in my story.   After a few sessions of icq we ironed out what I wanted and he created this wonderful characters, well let me know what you think.  Don't forget to send a line to Enterprise and let him know what u think of his characters.  His site is at http://www.maddmansrealm.com/Enterprise1701_D .  He also has some stories up on ff.net at http://www.fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=143877 .

"I'm really sorry, Mr. And Mrs. Fromthefield," Doctor Gerard told the couple in the too white sterilized hospital room. The couple's shock was plainly evident to the doctor, who took a deep breath. He hated this part of his job. Mrs. Fromthefield was a woman in her mid-thirties, light brown hair, nicely built, with a stunning face. Her gentle green eyes stared at him in shock. Mr. Fromthefield was a couple of years older than his wife, and was nice-looking in his own way, with dark-brown hair and a full beard. His blue eyes stood sad, his shock wearing off. He hugged his wife, trying desperately to fight the tears from falling.

"April? My beautiful April? Dead?" the woman asked, still in shock. Her voice was trembling.

"I'm really sorry, Mrs. Fromthefield. We really did everything we could, but the heart muscle was just too deformed to be operable. We tried putting her on a heart-lung machine, but to no avail…" Doctor Gerard stopped explaining when Mrs. Fromthefield buried her face in her husband's arms, and started crying hysterically.

"I'll give you some time now," the doctor said, his voice was soft, respecting, yet at the same time it had enough self-confidence to spare the parents the added burden of second-guessing. Mr. Fromthefield just nodded absentmindedly. Dr. Gerard made his exit after a final sorrowful look at the parents.

As soon as he cleared the room, Dr Gerard's depressed attitude changed, and a scowling anger replaced his earlier depressed demeanor. He charged to a room two levels down, in the administrative wing. He entered a room without knocking.

"That was the last one!" the doctor shouted at a gray-haired man in a general's uniform. "That's four this week! I can't do this anymore!"

The general chuckled. "Don't worry, Jean. Those were the only ones we implanted, remember?" Gerard nodded. In his rage, he had forgotten that. "Besides, everyone's just going to say it was a bad implant job. That's Hugo's head, not yours. And think of those two million dollars you're receiving for this job!"

Gerard nodded angrily. "Those two million…" he whispered.

"Precisely," the general replied. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some transfer papers to make out. Those four babies will be transported to Zodiac Operations within twenty-four hours."

Dr. Gerard nodded meekly. The general stood up, extending his hand. "You did a fine job, Jean. We're very lucky to have all four of them."

Gerard took the offered hand, and shook it. He looked up. "General, I would like to request a transfer."

"I thought you might," the general replied. "Where? Hawaii? Caymans? Wherever you want, I'm sure I can find you a job."

"Zodiac," the doctor replied. "I would like to request to be able to take care of those four children I stole from their parents."

The general looked at the man for a few long moments. "The most I can offer is a job as wet nurse, and that won't last very long, either way. After that, you might end up in the cleaning crew."

"I'll take it," Gerard whispered. "I feel responsible for them."

The general nodded. "As do we all, Jean. As do we all. I could use some responsible people like you. Welcome aboard."

"Thank you, General."

The general waved it away. "Hey, no problem! Anyway, you can travel with me. We leave in twenty-four hours. Better start packing. Where you're going, there's no turning back from."

"I'll be ready," Gerard said firmly. "One duffel bag, right?"

The general smiled, and gave a curt nod. "You did your homework, son, I give you that. Yep. All personal items are limited to one duffel bag each."

Gerard turned, and left the room after a curt goodbye.

Dr. Gerard walked into a room with a huge glass wall on one side. Through the glass a medium-sized room was visible, containing four small beds. The monitoring room Gerard just entered contained a couple of computer terminals, as well as various types of machinery. The only other person present was the General, whom Gerard now knew as General Perkins. The General was listening to a headphone, pressed to one ear, keeping the other ear clear.

"General," Dr. Gerard nodded in the General's direction, after which he turned to look out the glass wall. He knew form experience that the other side looked like a mirror.

"Doctor," the General replied, putting the headphone down. He pulled it from the machine it was connected to, and immediately sound started coming from the machine. It resembled a piece of music played at ten times normal speed: total gibberish.

"So, what do you think of our little subliminal indoctrination program?" the General asked.

Gerard shrugged. "I wouldn't know, General. I can't make out what it says, let alone have an opinion of it."

The General smiled. "Don't feel bad, Doctor. I can't understand it either." With those words, the General joined Dr. Gerard at the window. "But they…they understand it perfectly."

"Incredible. If it's true," Gerard replied coolly.

The General smiled. "Oh, I believe it is true, Doctor. You see… they respond to a voice played at ten times normal speed like they would to a normally spoken voice." The General turned to a nearby terminal, and pressed a few keys. The audiotape slowed down to normal. "Don't worry, theirs is still running at full speed."

Gerard turned to listen to the tape. _Loyalty to your commanding officer is paramount. Always obey the orders of your Team Leader, Phalanx, or your overall commander, General Perkins, or their representatives. You are the first line of defense of the United States of America. Your lives will be in the service of this great country, and you will not hesitate to give those lives to protect the citizens of the greatest nation on this planet._

Gerard shuddered. "Turn it off. Please."

Perkins pressed a few keys. The audiotape stopped playing in the monitoring room. "This is only the first stage. A light indoctrination into obedience and discipline. The next stage will be for each of them separately, drilling them in their respective roles. Can you imagine? A quartet of genetically engineered super-soldiers. Phalanx, the team leader. She's stable, and incredibly intelligent. A born leader with great charisma. Then, the second in command, Sagittarius. She's the team tactician and strategist. A born soldier, without the conscience that bothers in disposing of targets. They're the core team. And then, there's Capricorn. Third in command, the perfect war-machine. He's got ice-water in his veins, and weapons are his life. And finally, there's Aquarius. She's the demolitions expert. Has TNT for a heart and nitro for blood."

Gerard shook his head. "Woo we who do this to children," he whispered so quietly the General couldn't hear him. And if he could, he gave no indication of it.

"Of course, we'll use them more readily for the disposing-ops. Send in Phalanx and Sagittarius to use their female charms to come close to the enemy leader, get them to drop their guard, and then disposing of them."

Gerard shook his head. "Those girls will be used as whores…"

"Fuck 'em and kill 'em," the General replied, smiling. Turning to Gerard, he added, "Great plan, isn't it? We'll be doing what women have been doing for centuries… only ours will be faster, stronger, and better trained than any woman ever had."

A computer bleeped, and General Perkins turned to look at it. "The indoctrination tape has finished. The burn-in tape has started."

"Burn-in?" Dr. Gerard asked.

The General nodded. "A dictionary, a thesaurus, and a tape with the basics on mathematics. We're burning in their intelligence."

Dr. Gerard nodded, relieved. Finally something he could appreciate. The only phone in the small room started ringing. It was colored on obsessive red, and Dr. Gerard got shivers just from looking at it.

The General answered the phone. "Perkins… Sir? Sir, you can't be serious! They're just a month old! … Yes, we have some results! … Sir… Sir, please!" Dejectedly, General Perkins whispered, "Yes, Sir. Understood."

"What?" Gerard asked the moment the phone shut off.

"Orders from Oversight. Project Zodiac has twenty-four hours to produce results, or Programs Phalanx, Sagittarius, Capricorn and Aquarius will be terminated. Permanently."

Dr. Gerard's jaw hit the floor. "What?" he managed to choke out.

"We have twenty-four hours to get them to do something really impressive, or they'll be killed," the General whispered. He straightened out. "I've already said too much. Doctor, you are confined to your quarters."

Dr. Gerard started to refuse, but the General had already pressed a button. Two black-clad MP's stormed into the room. "Take Dr. Gerard to his room, and confine him there. He is not to leave his room under any circumstances. Food will be delivered at set hours. Do not let him leave under any circumstances!"

The two MP's saluted, after which each grabbed one arm of Dr. Gerard. They roughly hauled him out the door.

Dr. Gerard paced in his small but comfortable quarters. His eyes darted to the clock on the wall. The door to his stateroom had been locked. There were no windows in the underground facility he was in, so that option was out as well. The ventilation shafts were small, and maintained by equally small robots. No crawling through vents. Dr. Gerard sighed again, his eyes darting over the newspaper clippings that announced the deaths of four couples. Usually, he read them to give his work perspective. Now his mind ignored them.

He stopped chewing on his fingernails when he felt some skin give. His face contorted in pain when a nerve was hit. He looked at the sparely bleeding wound his incessant chewing had caused, and it brought his mind out of the fear and helplessness it had been locked in for the past – THIRTY-SIX HOURS??? Dr. Gerard wanted to kill himself with anger.

How he had somehow lost thirty-six hours to what seemed like an hour or two, he would never know. All he knew was that he needed to save the children. Now. he put his shoulder to the door, pressed the handle all the way down, and pressed. The door flew open, astonishing both the Doctor and the two MPs.

The two MPs grabbed for their weapons, clearly intending to use them more as a deterrent as an actual weapon. The doctor was acting in desperation, and a will to survive. He lunged for the MP nearest him, and managed to connect his fist to a specific spot in the lower abdomen. Being a doctor had taught Dr. Gerard where to hit to inflict pain. The MP doubled over, and Dr. Gerard grabbed his hand weapon.

Having never held a gun, let alone fired one, Dr. Gerard stumblingly pointed the business-end of the gun at the second MP. "I…I'll shoot! I swear!" Dr. Gerard threatened, wiping some fear-sweat of his forehead with his free hand. His pulse raced. Adrenalin of near-psychopathic levels made his skin burn. Dr. Gerard felt afraid for his life.

The MP spread his arms. "Easy, Doctor. Don't do anything you'd regret…" the second MP tried to calm the doctor down. The first MP lunged for Gerard. With a strength and speed given only to those in dire need, Dr. Gerard's right hand flashed out, pointing at the first guard, and squeezed the trigger. The bullet, not having been aimed, hit the man in the right arm, spinning him around.

Dr. Gerard stared at the bleeding wound, causing the second MP to think him distracted. His lunged for the gun. Dr. Gerard's instincts took over. _LIVE! DEFEND!_ His subconscious shouted. The gun flashed. Again. And again. The second MP was shot twice in succession, once in the lower abdomen,, and once through the head. The first MP, trying to rise, received a shot through the head as well.

Dr. Gerard stared at the carnage. He dropped to his knees. _Dear God, what have I done?_ he asked himself, the gun clattering to the ground. For at least ten seconds he sat there, just staring at the two corpses, before he had the presence of mind to remember his mission. Discarding his bloodied robe, the same white robe he had been wearing in the hospital section before this Hell started, Dr. Gerard forced himself to his feet, and, stumbling, made his way to the nursery. Along the way, he seemed to regain some strength as his mind buried the bloody events of mere minutes ago, refusing to think of them as long as he was on hostile territory.

Dr. Gerard started running to the nursery when a creepy feeling made its way up his spine. Normally there would be more people running along these corridors, even in the depths of night. _Oh, no…_ his mind whispered. _Please, Dear God, no…_ his face twisted as he ran. He finally made it to the nursery, and threw open the door. A nurse startled above one of the small beds, holding a syringe with a clear fluid. Howling like an enraged mother protecting her children, Dr. Gerard threw himself at the black man in the white robe holding the syringe.

The two struggled for a moment or two, and Dr. Gerard managed to drive the needle into the black man's veins. He pressed the fluid completely into his adversary's arteries. His eyes immediately rolled back, before his breathing stopped. Dr. Gerard, panting, got up.

"Ariana…" he whispered as he identified the child the nurse was about to inject. He looked at the syringe, and the small bottle the nurse had been holding. The child's eyes opened, and locked with his. The small mouth smiled when the girl recognized the Doctor. Dr. Gerard looked away, at the other children. April was awake too… She always seemed to be whenever someone was in the room. The others could sleep, but April would always be awake. The researchers had seen it soon… only when the room was clear did April sleep.

Dr. Gerard noted that the other two children seemed to be really still. Dread was in his heart and soul as he made his way to the other two beds. Tears streamed over his face. "Ben…Irene… I'm sorry," he whispered, dropping to his knees, and crying.

Ariana and April, having watched his every move, seemed to understand what had happened, and started crying too. The type of crying only baby girls could produce. It roused Dr. Gerard from his guilt.

He jumped up, his clinical side taking over. As doctor, he was used to making life-and-death decisions. He ran to a nearby closet, and retrieved a box of diapers, two bottles, some food, and two carrycots. "Please, girls… I'm trying to save your lives," he whispered as he took April from her small bed and tucked her into the first carrycot. The two girls stopped crying, a fact that Dr. Gerard's battered mind ignored. He packed some of the supplies in the cot as well, before making tucking in Ariana and her supplies. Swinging a cot over each shoulder, he started running. "Please stay quiet," the Doctor whispered, his heart still racing.

Somehow, he made it out of the building without being seen. All along the way, the clear signs of a hasty abandonment were more and more clear to the running doctor, who was by now convinced that Oversight was planning on destroying the building, and all that remained in it… thus getting rid of the bodies of the four children. Why they wanted to poison the children as well was beyond Dr. Gerard.

He put the carrycot with April on the backseat. He put Ariana's on the front passenger seat. Dr. Gerard's car roared off. He made it as far as the front gate. He knew he had to stop before the attendant would open the beam. He also knew that the attendant was more than likely warned. The car shifted gears again. Dr. Gerard pressed the accelerator fully down.

The attendant, seeing the car arrive at great speed, did what he had been trained to do. He drew his gun, and fired, in an attempt to stop the car. He fired five times before having to duck out of the way. As the car roared past, he fired his last shot in the driver's door.

Dr Gerard was glad the shots had been placed widely when his car crashed through the gate. He kept the accelerator pressed firmly down. Finally, after what seemed like hours, but couldn't have been more than a minute or two, Dr. Gerard eased off. His rapid breathing was a testimony to his attempts to keep his raging emotions under control.

He noticed a stinging pain in his left leg, and cried out. Thee car almost crashed into a ditch at the side of the deserted country road leading to the nearest city. He pressed the brakes. The car screeched to a halt, and Dr Gerard, grinding his teeth in pain, opened the door. The light in the car flashed on.

"Damn!" the man hissed, looking at the blood spurting from his leg. "I've been shot!" closing his eyes, he tried to recall what to do with a gunshot. He made a hurried pressure bandage to keep himself from bleeding dry. He would need someplace quiet to treat himself. He always had a doctor's bag with him, in the trunk… for emergencies. Crying in, the doctor closed the door again, and raced off. He needed to find a deserted spot, and if he knew his 'employers', there would be black-ops guys chasing him before the sun rose.

Two days had passed. Dr. Gerard had seen no other possibility but to go to the nearest ATM, and withdraw as much money as he could. Of course Zodiac could track him. Of course, they would be after him anyway, so it didn't really matter. Besides, Dr. Gerard needed money. The two girls were safe and warm in their cots, but they needed food. And food didn't grow on trees… not the kind of food they required, anyway.

Two days of running had left it marks on Dr. Gerard. Hs eyes lay deep, his cheeks were hollow, and two days worth of stubble adorned his chin. His eyes were bloodshot. He looked bad, his hands skinned from driving on and on, running from Zodiac. Running from the immoral people trying to kill him and the two girls he was trying to save.

Dr. Gerard shot a frantic look in the cot on the front seat. Ariana was looking through the windshield with eyes open in unbridled curiosity. She made happy gurgling noises, and smiled at him when she caught his eyes. Even though Dr. Gerard was literally dead on his feet, he smiled back at the little girl. His eyes went back to the road in front of him.

His leg-wound stung. He grunted, but the smile wavered only slightly. Night was falling. Dr. Gerard turned on the headlights. Suddenly, two lights flashed on behind him. Dr. Gerard startled so much he almost drove the car off the road. He had never seen the other car arrive! He breathed out a sigh of relief when the other driver pulled past him, and disappeared in the now rapidly descending darkness.

His eyes flashing to the rearview mirrors, he tried to think straight. His eyes flashed to the road. Clear. There was nothing behind him. He looked back at the road, his eyes darting to a sign. _Welcome to Heaven, California._ _Let's hope so,_ the doctor's mind added in a whisper. He didn't even dare think too loud.

Suddenly, his foot pressed on the breaks, and he jerked the wheel. The car swiveled dangerously, screeching insanely as it slid past the black car that had past him half an hour ago. The car was put squarely across the road. Immediately, the black car's wheels screeched, pulling after him. Dr. Gerard floored the accelerator. The engine howled. The other car followed.

The rear window shattered as a bullet, fired form the other car, hit it. Dr. Gerard startled so much he lost control over his speeding car for a few short moments. The car screeched to the left. Then to the right. And then it stabilized. Dr. Gerard's adrenalin-charged mind only now registered the crying of the two baby girls.

His face twisted in rage, Dr. Gerard flung his car into the little town called 'Heaven'. Somehow, he managed to elude his pursuers. Breathing deeply, the Doctor looked over his two charges. The two girls had quieted down again, and he made sure that the icy cold wind, streaming in through the broken rear window, had no grip on the two girls. He put an extra blanket over the both of them, and took off again.

A warning light flashed on his dashboard. _Almost out of fuel._ Dr. Gerard's mind went over his wallet. _There goes my last fifteen bucks._ He had no other choice but to pull up at a gas station. Looking frantically from left to right, he filled up his car, and paid the attendant. He jumped in his car, and took off again. He didn't have much speed yet. Why his brain chose to comment on that specific building, Dr. Gerard never knew. All he knew was that it was a possible way out…

_Saint Mary Catholic Convent._

Dr. Gerard slowed down, his eyes looking at the two girls, who seemed to return his gaze. In the back of his mind he knew the other car was still looking for him. Worse: they had possibly called in reinforcements. The car pulled up, and Dr. Gerard ran around, retrieving the two girls. He scribbled a note, put it with April in her cot.

He ran to the door. The two girls were silent. Dr. Gerard cried silently as he put the two cots down. "I hope you'll be safe here," he said quietly. "God will look after you…" sobbing quietly, he ran the doorbell and ran for his car. It took off long before a sleepy sister could open the front door.

Dr. Gerard pulled into Main Street. He could see the outskirts of town. He just hoped that no one saw him put the girls down. Big tears ran down his cheeks. _Girls… I hope you can ever forgive me for stealing you from your parents… I'm sorry._ He car shifted as Dr. Gerard pressed harder on the accelerator. He entered complete darkness as he left town. He saw a flash coming from the bushes. Dr. Gerard jerked the wheel fruitlessly. The anti-tank rocket embedded itself into his engine before exploding. The combination of the high explosive with the fully fueled car was as devastating as it was spectacular.

The black-clad man released the smoking tube from his shoulder, and righted himself. He walked to the mangled and burning wreckage. "Mission accomplished," the man, muttered coldly, before taking his radio, and calling in his victory. "This is Eagle calling Nest. The Pizza has been burned. Repeat. The Pizza is burned."

_Is the complete Pizza burned?_ Came the reply.

The man looked at the molten wreckage. "Affirmative, Nest. The Pizza had full toppings. Nothing remains."

The voice at the other side sighed. _This is stupid. This frequency is scrambled, not to mention top-secret. Just tell me what happened._

The man calling himself 'Eagle' smiled behind his mask. "The car was fully fueled when my LAW hit. The inferno melted the steel of the frame. Nothing could've survived that."

_And you're sure that the Doc and the kids were in the car?_

"Oh, yeah."

_Good. Return to HQ. Well done._

The man clicked off the radio, and put it back in the pocket he pulled it from.

Mother Superior Anna sat back in her chair while she read the small note for the umpteenth time. Written obviously by a doctor on a medical prescription note, the not was barely legible.

"This is April Fromthefield," the note read. "The other child is named Ariana Smith. Their birthday is January 12. All I can leave them are the amulets around their necks. There are ample supplies in the cots. Please take care of them," Mother Superior read out-loud, her 65-year-old vice still strong. She was still an impressive sight, with her stern mouth and piercing eyes. She looked at the two way too large amulets. April's was a circle with a lightning bolt going through it. Ariana's resembled a centaur holding a bow and arrow. The sign Sagittarius, the Archer.

Sister Magdalena, who had opened the door and found the two girls, shifted uncomfortably in front of Mother Superior. The older woman sighed, and relaxed. "What would force someone do this?" she asked. "Two young girls. So helpless… who could do that?"

"I don't know, Reverend Mother," Sister Magdalena replied quietly. "It must have been big, for someone to give up two young girls, just put them in front of a convent."

"I have to agree, Sister Magdalena," Mother Superior replied, looking at the two carrycots, and the two girls who looked back at her, smiling. Despite her stern nature, Mother Superior smiled at the two girls. Out of the corner of her eye, Mother Superior saw Sister Magdalena do the same.

Sighing, Mother Superior righted herself to look directly at Sister Magdalena once again. "Very well. We will shelter them for the night. Tomorrow, we contact Child Welfare. With God's Will, they might find a good home."

"With God's Will, Reverend Mother," Sister Magdalena replied. After a moment of silence, the younger woman continued, "Where shall I put them for the night, Reverend Mother?"

Mother Superior looked at the two cots once again. "I shall take them to my room," she decided. "I will give up my blankets to keep them warm."

"Yes, Reverend Mother," Sister Magdalena replied, her thoughts dwelling on the poverty of convent, and the fact that the nights could be icy cold. "I wish to share some of my blankets as well," Sister Magdalena added moments later.

Mother Superior smiled. "God bless you, Sister Magdalena."

Sister Magdalena smiled, and shook her head. "It is nothing compared to what He did. I live by His example. God's Love will keep us warm."

Mother Superior smiled, and nodded. _It is rare to encounter such devotion these days… You are a good person, Sister Magdalena._ "Yes. God's Love will keep us warm."

Half an hour later, the convent was silent once more.

As soon as the Child Welfare office opened the next morning, Mother Superior and Sister Magdalena went to talk to a counselor. An hour later, they came back out. Child Welfare would try to find a good home for the children. For the time being, the counselor found no problem with April and Ariana staying at the Saint Mary's Convent. Just for a few days.

Those couple of days turned into a week. That week turned into a month, after which formal custody was awarded to the convent, since no home could be found. Heaven was a small community, and children turning up out of the blue was too strange a fact for them to accept.

Meanwhile, April and Ariana liked it at the convent. Ariana babbled one-word sentences by the end of her first month at the convent. April tried to copy Ariana, and babbled only two days later. It was April who took her first steps after only two months with the sisters, barely three months after being born. By the time, the sisters at Saint Mary's Convent adored the two children, and they took care of the two girls as if they were their own children. True to the earlier development, Ariana wanted to walk, just like April. She did it barely a day after April.

Their progress remained impressive. They could communicate reasonably well by the age of six months, and they even started to learn a couple of words in Latin, thanks to the weekly masses, and Mother Superior's rugged insistence that they be held in Latin.

By the time they were one year old, April and Ariana had learned to read simple books, books they found in abundance at the local library, thanks to Sister Magdalena, who took the two girls there as often as they wanted.

Unfortunately, life in the convent wasn't always easy. Money was on short supply, and the heating was turned low, or, more often, it was turned off completely. Hot water was in equally short supply, so all showers were taken in cold water. The girls never seemed to mind, seemingly not remembering anything from before they got to the convent.

The sisters did notice that April and Ariana only seemed to sleep for only four hours a night. Since the children behaved themselves remarkably for children their age, the sisters found no problems with letting the children dart around the convent for those few hours between their awakening and Vespers.

April, a brown-haired girl of one year old, ran into the dark chapel, a big smile on her face. She was giggling quietly. Halfway down the aisle, her head turned to look behind her, and she listened to the breathing of Ariana, who was about ten seconds behind her. Her head snapped back to face forward, and the girl fell to her knees in front of the altar. Crossing herself, she thought, _Sorry to disturb your rest, Lord,_ shot up, crossed herself again, and ran through the back door. The door fell shut, and April darted off again. She could faintly hear Ariana kneel down respectfully in front of the altar as well. April rounded a corner, shot out of the little-used passage, and crossed the courtyard.

The little girl ran full speed over the courtyard, and turned into the hallway were the sleeping rooms were. Tiptoeing, the girl made her way into the room she shared with Ariana. She silently closed the door.

Soon after, she could hear the faint whisper of Ariana's feet tiptoeing through the hallway. Moments after, the door opened and slid shut silently, the one-year old dangling from the sturdy antique doorknob. Her darker brown hair flung up as she silently dropped form the knob.

"I win," April whispered quietly.

"No fair, you know we shouldn't disturb the Lord at night," Ariana whispered back. "He likes his rest."

April looked at the ground, looking embarrassed. She nodded quietly. "You're right," the girl whispered. She closed her eyes, and folded her hands. Ariana folded hers over April's. _I ask forgiveness, Father, for disturbing your night rest. WE humbly ask forgiveness,_ Ariana's mind added.

The two girls opened their eyes, and looked at each other. Their hands untangled.

"Ari? Can I ask you a question?" April asked silently.

"Sure," Ariana replied. "What is it?"

"Did you notice how the sisters … you know… need light?" April asked.

"Light?" Ariana asked. She nodded slowly. "Yeah. Even when it's full moon."

"Yeah!" April replied, nodding enthusiastically. "Weird, huh? And I don't think they can hear us when we touch, either."

Ariana nodded in turn. "Yeah. I think the same… I can hear them when we touch, but I don't think they hear us back… but then you and I touch, and I hear you, and you hear me…"

"Yeah," April replied. "And I don't think they smell like us, too. I mean, I can always find you-"

"Just like I can always sniff you out," Ariana interjected.

"Yeah, but they can't sniff us out," April finished. "Do you think the Lord has a meaning for our gifts? We learn things faster, and we can see better, and smell better…"

"Hey, do you think we can hear better, too?" Ariana suddenly asked.

"I dunno," April replied, shrugging her small shoulders. "Think we should find out?" she asked, smiling widely.

"Like an adventure?" Ariana asked, smiling. "A secret, just between us?"

"We're like sisters," April said. "We're supposed to have secrets only we know."

Ariana smiled, nodding enthusiastically once again. "Hey, do you think we could…" Ariana's voice trailed off.

"What?" April asked, curiously.

"Silly… but…do you think we could hide our thoughts? You know, when we touch?"

April shrugged. "Dunno. Why? You have some big secret you don't want me to know?"

Ariana flung herself at April. "April! No! You're my sister! My bestest friend in the whole wide world! I just… thought of it, you know? For when we meet others…like us?"

April stopped struggling, and looked at Ariana. "You're my bestest friend, too, Ari," April replied, hugging Ariana. _I don't know if we can hide our thoughts._

_Try?_ Ariana asked. _You're stronger than I am._

April looked confused at Ariana. _Why do you say that? I don't feel anything different._

Ariana now looked as shocked as her friend. _I don't know how… I mean, I just thought it… I don't know why…_

_More mysteries. This is like so nuts. Like in the books. Anyway, if you think that, maybe I SHOULD try to mask my thoughts._ April's eyes closed. She imagined some sort of dome falling over her skull. _Can you hear me?_

_Faintly,_ came the reply. _Like you're far away, or something._

_I can still hear you as strong as ever. _April imagined the dome to grow thicker. _Can you hear me now?_ When she got no response, she said verbally, "Can you hear me?"

"U-uh," Ariana replied negatively, shaking her head. April dropped the dome.

_And now?_

_Yes,_ Ariana thought. "Cool!" she exclaimed. "Come on! What'd ya do? Huh? Huh? What'd ya do?"

"I'll show you if I can get a word in," April replied, smiling broadly. She liked it when things worked out.

"Sorry," Ariana replied, sounding slightly dejected. _Come on, show!_

April smiled, shaking her head. She closed her eyes. _Imagine a dome over your skull… and just make it thicker. _

Ariana closed her eyes as well, and concentrated. Her face smiled when the dome descended over her skull. She giggled when it tingled. Then, she made it thicker. _Can you hear me?_

_Faintly,_ came the strong reply.

Ariana made the dome thicker. _And now?_ "April?"

"Nope. Nothing," April replied, breaking contact. She breathed a little deeper. "You know, this is harder than running."

Ariana smiled, and nodded positively. "Yeah."

Their evolution slowed down; now that they began to reach the limits of the stimuli their environment had to offer. By age six, when they entered grade school, April and Ariana were fluent in English and Latin, and could read both languages without difficulty, but that was basically it. They knew the Holy Bible by heart, and followed the religion almost fanatically.

And then they entered school. Never minding the isolation much, April and Ariana absorbed the knowledge the teachers had to offer, which little it was. Unfortunately, school was focused on one thing, and one thing only: repetition. Time and time again, everything had to be worked out. They grasped the concept immediately, yet were forced into the same tedious and pointless exercises the other kids were. The other kids needed the exercises. April and Ariana didn't.

Losing interest in class, April and Ariana made sure that they were always seated side-by-side. Their hands always touched, and they spent hours in what they had now dubbed _mind-space_, a place existing only in their minds, a magical place where thoughts took form and anything was possible. They lived entire adventures there, playing the role of the brave heroes in a book either one of them read recently.

One day, just after April and Ariana had received the Holy Communion for the first time, the two girls were in the living room of the convent, each reading an adventure novel they had borrowed from the library. They didn't look up when Sister Magdalena entered.

"April? Ariana?" Both kids looked up, able to hear the slight tremor in the sister's voice. "Mother Superior wants to see you. There is an important-looking gentleman with her."

Both looked at each other, and frowned. They were seated not far form each other. They shrugged, marked their respective pages, and got up. They started to leave the room when Sister Magdalena called them.

"Oh, and girls? Be nice," Sister Magdalena told them.

April and Ariana threw her an innocent little-girl look. "We're always nice," April replied for both of them. Sister Magdalena smiled, and hushed them out the door.

April and Ariana raced through the maze that was the convent, knowing each nook and cranny of it. They arrived at Mother Superior's chamber soon after.

April grabbed Ariana's hand, before the other girl could knock. _What do you think this is about?_

_I don't know. I guess we'll jut have to find out,_ Ariana thought back. She took a breath, mimicking April. _Here we go._ The two hands released, and Ariana knocked on the door. Mother Superior's stern _enter _sounded soon after.

Taking another breath, the two six-year-olds pushed open the door, and entered.

"You wished to see us, Mother Superior?" Ariana asked respectfully. Only April could hear the thumping of Ariana's heart, and only Ariana knew that April's was thumping just as hard. When Mother Superior sent for them, it usually meant they had done something bad, and were about to be punished. Usually, it meant isolation for a couple of hours, or being deprived of one or more meals.

"There you are, girls," Mother Superior said nicely. "Please, have a seat." She motioned for two chairs, and April and Ariana sat down, now really thinking something wrong. Mother Superior was never nice to them when they were sent for. Something really bad was about to happen, and both girls just knew it. That they didn't have a clue as to what they had done wrong just made things worse. "This is Mr. Person. He wants to ask you a few questions."

"Sir?" April and Ariana asked at the same time, turning towards the heavy-looking man in his mid-thirties. They relaxed marginally. This was getting worse by the minute! What had they done to this man?

"Hello April. Ariana," the man greeted them on a friendly tone. The two girls gulped silently.

"Hello," April ventured. Ariana just smiled weakly, and dipped her head.

"Don't worry. I'm here to ask you a few questions concerning school," the man said, still amicably. "Are you often dreaming in class?"

April and Ariana shot a worried glance at each other. They didn't _dare _touch. Not now. Their strangest-green-colored eyes did the communicating. "A little," April said meekly, trying not to give away too much.

The man nodded, smiling slightly. "You don't have to be scared. I'm not here to punish you." When the two girls still didn't answer, he continued, "Do you often want to just go ahead with the class? Or go out, and explore things on your own? Learn at your own pace?"

April and Ariana shot another glance at each other, a frown on their faces. This wasn't about their mind-space! What was this about? "Uh…yes," Ariana replied quietly.

"Could you do me a favor?" the man asked, extending a small book. "Could you two read this? And tell me if you understand it?"

Ariana accepted the book, and opened it. April perched closer, looking over her friend's shoulder. Two sets of eyes went over the first page. They were touching now, in a way that Mother Superior and Mr. Person thought was a manner for April to stabilize herself. In _mind-space_, their characters were going over the data streaming in from the book.

April was represented by an Amazon, complete with quiver, bow, and short sword. Ariana had chosen a Sorceress, dressed in a long green robe, and always seeming to float above the ground. The two of them had the most fun while playing their characters in the ever-changing _mind-space_. Right now, April's Amazon had put down her arrows and her weapons. Ariana's Sorceress had crossed her legs, and was floating a little above the ground. The book was nowhere in sight, but the data coming in was floating around the circular room they were in, a room resembling an ancient Greek temple. Through the massive support columns an ocean could be seen, extending form all sides as far as the mind's eye could see.

In _real-space_, Mr. Person and Mother Superior knew nothing more than the two girls were reading at a pace of about one page every half a minute or so. The book was thin, only counting thirty pages. It took the girls fifteen minutes to finish it.

"I understand, Sir" April said after Ariana returned the book. Ariana nodded. "Me too, Sir."

"Then you won't mind me asking a few questions?" Mr. Person asked.

The two girls shrugged. "No, Sir."

"What is the derivation of a function in a?"

"The directional coefficient of the tangent in a," April replied instantaneously. Mother Superior's mouth opened.

"Okay, that's the textbook definition. Explain it to me," Mr. Person said.

"The derivation is the slope of the line in the point a. If function A is a straight line, then the derivation of that function in point a is the slope of the entire function A. If function A is NOT a straight line, then the derivation of the function in point a will be the slope of that particular point in function A," Ariana replied.

"Is that right?" Mr. Person asked April.

"Yes, Sir," April replied.

"You got it," Mr. Person said. "Now, I bet you're all wondering why I asked you to read that boring book on the basics of math, right?"

"More or less, Sir," April replied, smiling slightly.

"Well, to be honest, it was a test."

"A test?" Ariana asked. "What kind of test, Sir?"

"An intelligence test. I received some exuberant test results from you two ladies. You see, I am the principal of an extraordinary school. We're a boarding school for the best and brightest children in the country. I would like to offer you a scholarship."

"A scholarship?" April asked.

"How long would we be gone?" Ariana asked, sitting upright all of a sudden.

"Well, the scholarship would run until the school year in which you turn sixteen. You could of course come home during the holidays and summer break, and such. I will leave you with some documentation, there's no hurry. You can call me when you've made your decision."

April and Ariana nodded dazedly. This was their home… they felt safe here. Mr. Person took several folders and a small booklet form his case, stood up, and bid his goodbye. April and Ariana walked along to the door. After Mr. Person had left, the two girls disappeared along with all the information brochures Mr. Person had left, to their room. They needed to think.

The Amazon and the Sorceress did overtime.

Out of the information Mr. Person, had left behind, Mind-April and Mind-Ariana had constructed a three dimensional map of the premises. The 'map' was floating in between the two characters. The temple was still there, but the ocean was now hidden by black walls that had appeared in between the white support columns. Lighting inside the temple remained a constant, though.

_Look at this,_ Mind-April said, awed. _Two tennis courts. A large swimming pool. A couple multi-purpose courts, able to accommodate anything from indoor soccer to basketball. And then there are the actual scholastic rooms… A large computer room, kept up-to-date every two years, a physics lab, a chemistry lab…_

_In addition, all the courses are tailored especially for the bright to very bright. All courses are accelerated, able to go over the same material in half a year that would take three years normally. Courses are diverse, too… ranging from genetics to mathematics, physics, astronomy, music-courses, languages, electricity and electro-mechanics for those interested in working with their hands, and so on…_ Mind-Ariana added.

Mind-April nodded enthusiastically, almost crowing out with joy. _All rooms have a color TV, with satellite access, there is an AV-room with the latest in audio-visual equipment for those caring to experiment with making movies! This sounds too good to be true!_

Immediately, the two Mind-avatars stopped their joyous laughter. They turned deadly serious. _Okay, so what's the catch?_ Mind-Ariana asked, getting up from her cross-legged position fast enough to send her long, regal, green dress flying up.

_It normally costs a hundred thousand a year,_ Mind-April pulled from somewhere, the specific block of relevant data appearing on a nearby wall. Mind-Ariana turned to it, and nodded pensively. She thought of something, and made a hand-motion.

_Scholarships are awarded according to academic merit, and financial situation, thanks to the founder of the Institute of Advanced Learning, Multi-billionaire Llewellyn Maddocson, _Mind-Ariana read from the wall directly next to the one still displaying the school fee.

_Looks like we're in luck,_ Mind-April added sarcastically.

Mind-Ariana turned to her friend. _The sisters aren't that bad._

Mind-April nodded, and smiled back at her friend. _You're right. They've been really good for us. I shouldn't think those kinds of things of the people who took care of us._

Mind-Ariana walked back to the map, still spinning in the center of the temple. _I only wonder if we don't hurt them too much… I mean, if we leave…_

_They'll understand, Ari. Besides, it's not like we're going for ever. We're coming back every chance we get!_ Mind-April protested.

Mind-Ariana looked over her shoulder at her friend. _Really? With what money? Face it, April. When we're there, we're stuck until we earn money to come back. _

Mind-April sighed. _We'll earn money; somehow. We have to be able to do something. We're smart enough. _

Mind-Ariana smiled._ Maybe Mr. Person will give us an allowance. _

Mind-April looked at her friend intensely. Mind-Ariana had by now come to understand her friend, and she knew that April wasn't really looking _at_ her, but rather, delving into her own mind, looking for that elusive piece of information. _I knew I read it somewhere!_ Mind-April shouted, and a new excerpt appeared on a wall.

_Scholarships include a basic allowance of twenty dollars a week,_ Mind-Ariana read. _That's not much._

_But enough if we save up all year, to come home during school break,_ Mind-April insisted. _I mean, we _don't _get an allowance now, and we've got by just fine. There's a library on the campus, so we don't need money for membership fees. We receive three meals a day; we get a warm bed and a roof over our heads. What possible use do we have for money?_

Mind-Ariana nodded. _You're right. And there's a bathroom for every three rooms. Can you imagine a shower with warm water?_

Mind-April thought for a moment, then shook her head. _No…I can't._

_So? What do you think? Wanna go?_

_Want to? Oh, yes! _Mind-April said wholeheartedly.

_And are we? Going?_

_I really want to,_ Mind-April replied. _I really do._

_I vote for going,_ Mind-Ariana said decisively. _But I'm not going without you._

Mind-April looked at her friend's avatar with mind-tears in her mental eyes. She knew it wasn't blackmail, just a statement. Ariana wanted to go, but if April didn't want to go, she wouldn't go either. They wanted to stay together. Forever.

_I vote yes,_ Mind-April finally said. _This is too good an opportunity to pass up._

_Great!_ Mind-Ariana shouted enthusiastically.

Theatrically, the Amazon-avatar of April stood up, and walked to the floating 'map' in the temple's center. She waved her hands. The map disappeared, and the data on the walls went with it. The next moment, the walls disappeared. Mind-April's voice took on an echo when she said, just as theatrically, _We have consensus!_

Mind-Ariana got up, her regal dress flowing around her body as she floated up to April. _We have!_ She bellowed, her voice taking on an echo as well. The next moment, music filled the temple, and the stern masks flew from the two seven-year-old faces as big smiles broke out.

Their scholarship would start next September, which meant they would have to leave at the end of August. Those last three-and-a-half months were the longest of their young lives, as April and Ariana couldn't wait to attend a school where they would be the norm, not the exception.

The sisters, on the other hand, were sorry to see them go. The last seven years had created a strong bond between the nuns and the two girls. Both the girls and the nuns were sad to see it come to and end, but everyone realized that it was for the best… April and Ariana needed a school where their intellects would be stimulated and nourished, not broken down because of its exceptional nature.

Finally, the day arrived that they would leave.

"We'll come back," April promised. "We'll save up our allowances, and we'll come back net July."

"Yeah," Ariana agreed, nodding.

"Oh, girls," Mother Superior said, with vibrating voice. She hugged each of the seven-year-olds in turn. "Don't make promises you can't keep."

April hugged Mother Superior tighter. "I promise," the girl whispered. Ariana hugged Mother Superior as well. "Me, too," she promised.

Mother Super released the girls, and stood up, to mask the fact that there was a suspicious shine in her eyes. The other sisters hugged the girls, and wished them a good and safe voyage under God's good graces, and a fruitful school year. The girls, in turn, promised to come back and to do their best at their new school.

Finally, the cabdriver who was to take them to airport was getting impatient, so the two girls put their shoulder bags in the trunk, and got in the back. Their entire lives were packed in two tiny shoulder bags: a small gathering of clothes and pictures. They didn't have much, but they were happy.

The cab drove off, towards the airport. "I wish I could have gone with them to the airport," Sister Magdalena told Mother Superior.

"So do I, my child. So do I," Mother Superior replied. "But they preferred to do this by themselves."

"I'll never forget that night, Reverend Mother. The night I opened the door, and found them…"

Mother Superior's usually stern mouth twitched in a small smile. "From the very moment you brought them into my chambers I knew something was special about them. God chose to give us those two children to keep safe, and now He, in His infinite Wisdom has decided to give them the best education society has to offer."

"We will all miss them," Sister Magdalena whispered, staring at the stretch of road the cab had long since vanished from.

In the cab, April and Ariana were sitting, huddled together, a little subdued.

"I can't believe it," April whispered. "We're really gone."

"From Heaven, California to the compound of the Institute of Advanced Learning in Texas," Ariana added.

The cab pulled up to the airport. "Here you go, girls," the driver said as he put the car in 'park'.

"Thank you, sir," April replied, getting out. Ariana followed her friend. They took their shoulder bags from the trunk. The driver waved as he pulled away.

April and Ariana looked at the large building. "The airport," April whispered.

"I never thought it would be this big," Ariana said, awed. April could only nod, stunned. After a few moments of gazing, they entered the glass building.

"Departures," April read, pointing to a sign. "I think that's where we have to go."

Ariana looked at her ticket. "Continental Airlines," she read. She looked at the baggage check-in. "Do you think we have to go there?"

April looked at the thin pieces of paper. "Not a boarding pass," she read from the tickets. "Yep. I think that's where we have to go to get our boarding passes."

Ariana nodded, and started walking, April in tow. The two girls stopped at the check-in line. Actually, there were two lines. "VIP and first class," Ariana read from the sign at the small line.

"We're not Very Important Persons, but these are first class seats," April said, looking at the tickets. "I think we're in luck, Ari." The two girls stepped into the small line, and immediately were allowed to advance before the other passengers. The ticket clerk looked annoyed at them.

Until they handed him their tickets, after having to stand on their toes to do so. The tickets were processed immediately, and boarding passes were handed out. They didn't have any luggage except their shoulder bags. They would be taking the small bags with them as carry-on luggage.

After having claimed their boarding passes, the two girls were shown to embarkation hall.

They had to put their bags through the X-ray scanner, and had to walk through a metal detector. The two girls found it all exciting. April and Ariana walked straight to the embarkation hall, where April pointed at a monitor.

"Flight CA756 to Dallas leaves in thirty minutes," April said. Ariana nodded.

"Gate 30. Let's hurry," Ariana said, grabbing a firm hold on her shoulder bag. April nodded, and the two excited seven-year-olds started running towards gate thirty. They were having a splendid time, certainly when they stopped dead in their tracks. A large window gave them an uninterrupted view of the airplanes.

"What a big thing," Ariana said, hushed.

"Will that thing make it into the air?" April wondered. Ariana pointed to a similar airplane in the background that just detached itself from the ground, and lifted into the air like a majestic bird of white-painted aluminum.

"The answer's yes," April answered her own question. She looked around. "We're at gate 25. Come on, Ari. We can't afford to be late."

Ariana nodded, and docilely followed her friend. The two girls ran to the waiting are at gate thirty. Boarding hadn't commenced yet.

The two girls left the airplane in Dallas, and looked around. "Now what?" Ariana asked.

"I don't know, Ari. They said someone would be here," April replied. After a few seconds, she added, "Come on; let's start walking towards the main gate. Maybe they're waiting for us there."

Ariana nodded and shrugged. She followed her friend, looking around the Dallas airport as they walked. Her friend did the same. As they reached the main disembarkation hall, they saw someone hold up a sign with their names on it. The two girls made their way to the man, who was dressed in an impeccable business suit.

"I'm April," April said. "This is Ari. Are you from the Institute?"

The man smiled at the two girls. "Yes, I am. Come on, get your luggage. It should be coming in on…" the man threw a look at a nearby monitor. "Carrousel 5. Then we can go. We've got a long drive ahead of us."

"This is all we have," Ariana replied, a little self-conscious. The man's mouth opened slightly at the sight of the two shoulder bags, but decided not to comment.

"In that case, let's get going, shall we?" he said with a nice smile. "By the way, my name is Bert. I teach math and social sciences at the Institute."

"Nice to meet you, sir," April said for the both of them. The man laughed.

"Call me Bert. Everyone else does, so why not you? I see myself more as a friend than a teacher. See me as your guide through the wonderful world of knowledge."

"Okay… Bert," Ariana said, not entirely comfortable with calling a superior by his given name.

"This way," Bert said, leading them to the parking lot. He continued, "You'll find that most, if not all, teachers at the Institute of Advanced Learning, are like me. We all care passionately about our subjects, and as such, inspire passion in our students."

April and Ariana threw their shoulder bags in the boot of the Buick Bert drove. They scooted onto the back seat. "Anyway, since it'll be at least five hours, I brought some lunch. Hope you girls like sandwiches and Coca Cola."

"Sure!" April and Ariana assured the man at the same time. Coca Cola had been one of those things that had been a real luxury at the convent. Water was the standard drink, and sodas only came onto the table rarely.

After a couple of hours, Bert pulled over at a bench along the road, and unpacked the lunches. After everyone had their fill, they were underway for the couple hours that were left.

April opened her eyes, and got up. As was her custom, she was fully awake as soon as her eyes had opened. The room's lights were off. April put on some clothes, left her room, and stepped out into the little hallway.

The layout of the building was quite easy to understand. There was a large main hallway, off which small hallways branched off perpendicularly. Each branch sported three rooms and a bathroom. When looking directly at the branch, there was one bedroom on the left of the branch, one on the right, and one at the deep-right side. On the left was the bathroom.

April stepped out of her room on the right of the branch, slowly made her way to the door on the opposite end, and let her hand slide across the door. April's head looked around to see whether she had waked anyone else.

Ariana left her room mere seconds after April had 'knocked'.

Their hands met. _Ready?_ April asked.

_Yep,_ Ariana answered. Holding hands, the two girls left the branch they were housed in. They entered an elevator.

Two minutes later, the two girls were jogging leisurely around the building. "You were late," Ariana said.

"So I overslept," April gave in response.

"Not you custom, April," Ariana insisted.

April shrugged. "It was my own fault. I was up too long studying for basic trigonometry. Sorry, Ari."

Ariana was silent for a few seconds. "I overslept too," the other girl admitted. April shot her friend an amused look.

"Trig?" she asked.

"Trig," Ariana replied. Both girls burst out laughing, comfortable in the knowledge they were now jogging along the wing of the building dedicated to labs of various kinds. Labs neither of them had access to yet. Neither of them minded… they knew beforehand that the first six months of their stay at the Institute would be filled with getting them through High School.

Not an easy feat under any circumstances, but a feat necessary to show which of the students possessed the necessary capacities to cut it in the hellish pace that Institute maintained.

"So, how far does that put us ahead?" Ariana asked after half a minute of silence.

"I'm ahead four chapters in Trig, three in English composition, and six in American history. In other words…"

"…You're almost done," Ariana added with a smirk.

"I'm almost done," April agreed. "And you?"

"Same courses, three, four, six. About even."

April nodded. "It's almost seven thirty. Come on, I'll race ya to the bathroom!"

"Okay!" Ariana shouted, racing off after her friend.

The two girls burst into their bathroom ahead of Kelly, the third girl in their branch. Ariana already started stripping while April turned the shower to 'freezing'. After being used to it in the convent, warm water just felt plain wrong to April and Ariana. April shed her clothes, and jumped under the shower with her friend. They washed each other, and were out of the bathroom in under five minutes.

As usual, they were one of the first to make it to the dining hall, where all three hundred best-and-brightest gathered three times a day. They filled some cheese and salami on their plates, grabbed a few slices of bread, and filled their glasses with freshly squeezed orange juice.

"I still can't believe some of these kids have the nerve to call this food bad," Ariana started the conversation after the two girls had sat down.

"Most of the others never had it like we did," April replied, taking a bite of her cheese-salami sandwich. She threw some orange juice down her throat directly after it.

Ariana nodded. Suddenly, she looked up, and dipped her head in a certain direction. Ten children, raging in age from nine to fifteen, had just entered the dining hall. There were four boys and six girls, all dressed in uniform. The girls were wearing gray skirts, white socks, a white blouse, and blue jacket. The boys were wearing gray pants, a white shirt, a blue jacket and matching blue tie. All proudly displayed the gold-and-ruby pin of a phoenix on their chests.

"The phoenixes," April whispered in awe. "How I'd like to be part of them…"

"We'll give it everything we've got, April," Ariana added. "Two majors and at least one additional stand-alone course can't be that bad."

April nodded. "It's a lot of additional work, too, Ari. There's that ten errors a month rule… Only ten errors a month! And all subjects are added up!"

"But imagine the prestige!" Ariana interrupted. "Sure, it's a lot of hard work, but look at the benefits! Unlimited access to the library and the labs, the authorization to experiment with whatever we feel like experimenting with…"

"And the tank," April ended.

Ariana nodded. "And you get to join the think-thank that look into all kinds of interesting problems."

"What a load of pressure. Think we can cut it?" April asked, suddenly sounding very unsure of herself. "Do you think we can overdo it? You've heard of those kids that are pushed too far…"

Ariana shook her head. "Urban legends, April. There are loads of psychologists monitoring us. Don't worry, they won't let us kill ourselves. Those that crack don't belong here. Besides, the phoenixes are for later. You have to be nine before you can join."

April sighed, and nodded. She shoved her worry aside, and looked at Ariana. "Have you decided on a major yet?"

"I'm still doubting," Ariana replied quietly. "Electro-mechanics, or car mechanics?"

April looked at her friend. "First: those are high school-level courses. And second, you want to get your hands dirty? Why?"

Ariana shrugged. "Sam reason you want to take bagpipe lessons, and want to learn Japanese. Those courses just interest me, that's all. Besides, they're short courses. Three months, high-intensity."

April shrugged, then smiled. "I'd like to see the face of the instructor that has to teach an eight-year-old girl to repair a car."

Ariana snickered. "About the same face as the guy who has to teach you how to hold a set of bagpipes."

April burst out laughing, soon joined by Ariana. "You know, I think I am really going to like it here. There's no pressure except for the pressure you put on yourself," April said after the laughing fit had died down somewhat.

"Except when you join the phoenixes," Ariana said.

"That's your own choice, so it's basically still your own choice whether or not you put the added pressure on yourself," April said, throwing a look at the table where the phoenixes were busily discussing god-knew-what. It appeared to be an interesting and very intellectual discussion, since several phoenix-members were rubbing there foreheads, obviously thinking hard.

Ariana nodded. "Maybe you're right," she said with a sigh. "Anyway, I'm done. I'll see you in class?"

"Hang on, I'll go with you," April replied, throwing the remainder of her orange juice down her throat, and making the last of the sandwich disappear just as easily. The two girls deposited their trays, and walked to class after going to their rooms and collect some writing materials and some books.

_Hello everybody,_

_Good news! We graduated High School magna cum laude! So, now it's all down to our majors… Mr. Person told us we could take a couple of weeks off, but me and Ari decided that we'd best get started. I've decided on taking mathematics and computer sciences first. During the High School courses, we got some computer courses, and a computer really speaks to me. I mean… when a computer doesn't do something, it's because I screwed up, not because it doesn't like me for being smarter._

_Anyway, Ari decided on her majors, too. She's taking a course for industrial engineer, with electricity, electro-mechanics, and such. Why she wants to get her hands dirty is beyond me, but it's her choice. She's also taking computer sciences with me, so we've got those classes to be together. I can hardly wait._

_Everything's going great here at the Institute, too. The teachers are both funny and friendly… and the best thing of all is that they manage to teach us something! Me and Ari can't get over the fact that things are so different here, compared to the grade school back in Heaven. Nothing bad on Heaven Grade School, but Ari and I need some pressure to perform. Everyone here agrees on that._

_We've made our first friends, too! For the first time, we've got friends! I'm so happy I could cry… Kelly's the girl next door in our branch. She's so sweet, a genius with words. She's taking courses in half a dozen different languages, French, German, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, and Ancient Greek. I asked her why she didn't take Latin. She replied that Latin would be for next year, when her courses end, and she takes her next batch. Sweet Kelly. _

_We've also become friends with Grace. She's twelve, and a phoenix-member! I can't believe it! We've got a phoenix member for a friend! It happened in a strange way, too. Let me tell you about how it happened._

_You no doubt remember that we never sleep for more than four hours. So, one night we were taking our early-morning jog, and we run into Grace, only we don't know her name then. So, we bump into this girl, who's sitting on a bench outside, looking at this thick volume, obviously in some sort of trouble. _

_Since we got to the Institute, there are a few social-things we learned. One of those things is that just showing interest might be enough for a problem to be solved. Just talking about it, you know? So, we sit. I sit on the girl's left, and Ari sits down on the right._

_"What's wrong? You look like that book's about to eat you," I asked. _

_The girl sighed, and looked at the both of us. "It's physics. I'm not good at physics. I prefer biology."_

_"No offense, why did you take it, then?" Ariana asked._

_The girl started fingering her phoenix pin, and we kinda get the point. "Think tank stuff. A company has a problem, and they asked us to help solve it."_

_So, Ari and I offer to help, and the girl smiled and opened the book at a hand-written page. Just one page. Now, since getting to the institute we've become known as the fastest readers in our age group. So, we read the hand-written page in about ten seconds flat. _

_After reading the page, we started leafing through the advanced physics book she brought with her. And you know what? We started talking! Sine neither Ari nor I had taken this level of physics yet, we asked questions to coincide with the book… And Grace tries to answer them. With the three of us, we solved her problem. I've never seen anyone so happy, I swear! _

_The next morning, Grace actually introduced us to the rest of the phoenixes! And you know what? They're not as different from us… we always saw them as these cool super-kids, but it turns out they're just like us! They've got doubts, and problems, too. _

_Anyway, I've gotta go now… breakfast's about ready._

_Miss you all much, and hope to see you soon,_

_April._

April and Ariana made good on their projects, and within six months, both girls could sport two college degrees. Having gotten a taste for number crunching, April decided on tackling Physics and Quantum Mechanics next. She also kept taking her course in Japanese customs, enabling her to learn the language, and behave according to the Japanese customs, teaching her the local foodstuffs, and so on. April found it a fascinating country.

Ariana decided on taking History, as well as Political Sciences. She too, took a stand-alone course during evenings, Car Shop. She _liked_ get her hands dirty, trying to find out what's wrong with a car. As such, she could drive within weeks… if a little clumsily due to her length. The course would take about six months… And given her tendency to fully delve into a subject, Ariana would be able to build a car by herself by the time the course ended.

April also kept going to the library, trying to find more books on computer programming languages. She started absorbing one language after another; C, COBOL, FORTRAN, Assembly code,… the list went on. April, when not busy with anything else, late at night, closed her eyes, and let her mind build code… just for code's sake. Program after useless but fun to work on program passed the revue. And then… then April started thinking. DOS was still the leading operating system. Good as it may be, it was not user-friendly. She set her mind on a monumental task. A task to build a new operating system, one that would not require the operator to learn lots of useless things… an operating system that would be operated by the human voice.

Ariana usually joined her friend, going through book after book on historic events. First came prehistory, and her hunger was awakened. She loved the Sumerians with their strange writings. Next came the Egyptians with their mystery pyramids, and she loved them, too. Then she got to the Greeks, and she became best friends with the likes of Pericles, and Alexander the Great. And then there was Rome. Glorious Rome, with it Julius Caesar, its Emperor Augustus, and its Hadrian (along with the wall he built in Great Britain), before she erupted into the dark Ages. Her eyes shining with excitement, Ariana's mind absorbed names, dates, places and battles without a hint of trouble. She truly enjoyed the ancient battles… and as such, started to track down anything she could find on ancient tactics, long-ago commanders, and armies of the different eras.

The courses ended, and both April and Ariana decided on staying with them… upgrading their bachelor's degrees to doctor's degrees. Ariana's car shop course ended, and she now joined a wood shop class, just to keep her hands busy (and dirty!).

Both girls were halfway through their doctor's courses, both already working on their thesis when, one evening, April and Ariana were in April's room.

"Ari, I have GOT to show you something," April immediately burst out. "For half the day, I was so excited about telling you that I needed to keep myself in check. I actually had to let Learning April out to do the work!"

Ariana's eyes opened wider. "You had to run a mind-avatar for half a day? Under actual conditions? Did it work?" Ariana asked, excitedly.

"It did. But that's not the point, Ari! I found something new!" April burst out, sounding just as excited as her friend.

"Really? What?" Ariana asked, sounding curious.

"Look!" April said, lifting her hand and pointing her index finger at a book. The book lifted. April opened her hand, and the book raced towards the girl. Her hand snapped shut, grabbing the book. "Psychokinesis!"

Ariana's mouth was as open as it was able to. "How…how…did you manage _that_?" she stammered.

"Well, I was going through my Advanced Physics course, and suddenly I saw that the page was lifting by itself. So I start experimenting over lunch…" April explained. "And it's not a matter of power, but of control! I mean, I could lift a page without any knowledge whatsoever, just like that… but, when I started to experiment, I could lift a book without trouble, once I started focusing!"

Ariana looked at the book April had put down in between them. She reached for it, closing her eyes. "Don't _force_ the book to come to you. Don't _will_ it to do what you want. It's more like… feel yourself reaching out, is the best I can explain it. Then gently manipulate it. Fell yourself becoming one with the book, and lift it," April preached, her voice sounding uncertain. This was new to her, too.

Ariana held her breath. The book shuffled form left to right, and a smile displayed itself on Ariana's face. Then, the book _flew_ up, directly towards Ariana. April's eyes barely had time to open completely. Ariana's arm blurred, shot out, grasped the speeding book out of mid-air, and held it firmly in place.

"Wha… How did I do _that_?" Ariana asked meekly.

"Your arm moved… fast!" April stuttered. "I…I…your reflexes! I…I…we need to do some tests on that," she added.

Ariana had put the book down, and stared at it as if she willed it to roll over and die. She blamed the book for the psychokinetic failure. Calming herself, she said she was going to try again. April nodded, holding herself ready. Ariana closed her eyes, and took another deep breath.

"Try to keep your eyes open. Maybe you over-focused," April suggested. Ariana shrugged, and opened her eyes. She looked at the book. Once gain, it started shuffling, then lifted calmly. Ariana started smiling widely.

"It works! I can move things with my mind!" the girl shouted enthusiastically.

"Try shouting. I'm sure that the people in Papua New-Guinea didn't hear you," April said sarcastically.

"Sorry," Ariana whispered quietly, still looking at the book. "Come here, you," she told the book affectionately. The book drifted over, snapping into Ariana's opened hand. She bounced up and down with excitement.

"This is so cool!" Ariana shouted. "We can move things with our mind!"

April nodded, smiling broadly as well. "Mind-space directives?" she asked.

Ariana's excitement died down a little. She nodded. "We have to keep things a secret. You're damn right."

"Ari! Baby Jesus doesn't like cursing!" April accused.

Ariana calmed down immediately. Her face sobered up, and she nodded. After turning towards the simple crucifix in April's room, Ariana closed her eyes and folded her hands. A quick prayer later, she reopened her eyes, feeling relieved. "I've been picking up bad habits from the workshops," she apologized to April.

"I told you not to get your hands dirty," April said with a smile, indicating she this was more a tease than anything else.

A gentle rap at April's door startled both girls, making them jump literally half a meter into the air.

"Why didn't we hear her?" Ariana asked quietly, so quietly only April would be able to hear her.

"Too absorbed with our own things," April replied just as quietly. "Enter!" she said out loud. The door opened, and April and Ariana threatened to lose their eyes, so far did they come out of their sockets.

Four phoenixes had just entered April's quarters.

"I told you guys they would be here," Grace told her three companions, whom both younger girls knew as the most senior members of the phoenixes: Rick, Arial, and Jean. Seniority in the phoenixes was not related to age, but rather to the amount of time that particular member had _been _a phoenix. Rick, a blonde boy, had been a phoenix for about three-and-a-half years, and was the most senior of the group, although he was only thirteen. Arial, a brunette of fifteen, had been a phoenix for about three years. Jean, a redheaded girl of fourteen, had only been a phoenix for two years, a little longer than Grace.

Most members of the phoenixes couldn't maintain the savage pace the group maintained, or they could but just didn't have the energy to keep up the pace. It was said that the average amount of sleep a phoenix member got was about five hours a day, with many members going through the night at regular intervals. As such, the club of ex-members grew steadily, while the actual amount of members stayed steady at around ten.

April and Ariana looked at the four members in the room, for the first time up close to the other members. They startled. Rick was looking at them with eyes that looked so tired. Arial looked a little better, her exhaustion hidden beneath an artful appliance of make-up. Jean and Grace still looked fresh.

"We couldn't find you," Grace explained to her two friends, "So I brought them here. I hope you don't mind?"

"They won't, not after what we're about to tell them," Rick interrupted. His voice sounded strong, still, and the girl started to think that Rick's exhaustion was only superficial. He turned to the two girls. "Even though you're only eight-and-a-half, we've decided on making an exception. If you want to, you can take the appliance test for the phoenixes," Rick told a very stunned April and Ariana. "They start next week."

Arial nodded, and handed them each a small book. "The rules and regulations," she explained. "Read it well. It will be the code you live by, for as long as you are a phoenix member."

"The appliance exam will be a timed exam, covering every imaginable topic. There are books in the library on the more common subjects we ask for entrance. Ask Mac where they are," Jean added, referring to the librarian. "You will have thirty minutes to finish the exam."

"And don't think about cheating. It's not a scantron test," Rick finished, referring to the type of multiple-choice test where little circles had to be blacked out, enabling a computer to correct the test at a faster pace than any human could hope to achieve. "In fact, the tests will be corrected by the current members of the phoenixes. Don't expect any leniency. The phoenixes are elite. We all want to keep it that way. The only reason we're permitting you to enter is because of the formidable record you have achieved while you've been here."

April and Ariana nodded. "Good evening, then," Rick said, nodding to both girls. April and Ariana smiled at him, and said good evening as well, while the phoenix members filed out of the room.

The door shut after Grace gave them a final thumbs-up, and an encouraging smile, before leaving as well. April and Ariana looked at each other.

"We're going to be phoenixes!" the two girls shouted excitedly, hugging each other, unable to contain their enthusiasm.

It took a couple of minutes for the girls to come down from their high, and they looked at one another. After all these years, their hands came together naturally.

_Library, then?_ April asked.

_Library,_ Ariana agreed. _I have to do write a comparison paper on the empires of Alexander the Great and Caius Julius Caesar, and I'll need to do some research anyway._

_Comparing what?_ April asked.

_Political and military institutions,_ Ariana replied. _Care to help? Two minds assimilate faster than one. And four hands type faster than two._

April shrugged. _Sure. I'll take politics. You take military._

Ariana smiled, and hugged her friend. _Thanks, girlfriend. _

April shook it off. _Consider it a repayment for helping me with my thesis on the Theory of Everything_.

Ariana's face became stern, and she put her hands in her sides. April's hand remained on Ariana's leg, maintaining contact. Ariana's mind-voice sounded stern. _The Theory of Everything: Hoax or Genius?_ She said. Immediately after, both burst out into giggles. _Come on, let's go the library,_ Ariana said, getting up, taking April's hand with her. April nodded, and got up as well.

"Hello, Mac," April and Ariana greeted the Scottish librarian as they entered the huge library of the Institute. A library that was reputed to have about the same amount of books the Library of Congress had. No one knew for sure. No one had tried to count them yet. Mac knew, but he wasn't telling. When someone asked how many books there were, he just answered that there were enough, and that was about all they could get from him on the subject.

"Good evening, lasses," Mac replied. The man was in his mid-fifties, with slightly graying hair, but with keen green eyes that seemed to burn into your very soul. His eyes shot to the clock. "Pulling an all-nighter?" He asked with a slightly Scottish accent.

"I've got a paper to finish, comparing the military and political structures of Alexander the Great's empire to that or Rome during Caesar's reign," Ariana replied.

"And I need to get some books on getting into the phoenixes. We just got selected to enter the tests next week!" April exclaimed happily. Mac smiled.

"Good for you!" he said while looking behind his desk, and retrieving some cards. "These should get you started," he said, holding the reference cards out to April. He also handed Ariana a couple of cards. "And these are on military tactics and political structures. They should get you started."

"Thanks, Mac," the two girls replied happily, bouncing off to fetch their books.

"Better hurry, lasses, " Mac told them as they bounced off. "You know the rules."

"No one except the phoenixes is allowed in the library after 11 PM, and before 7AM," April said over her shoulder. She smiled at the librarian. "Don't worry, Mac. We'll be out of here in ten minutes."

Andres 'Mac' McGinnis shook his head. _How do they do that? Some people I know need half an hour to find a book, even with the reference cards…_ Mac smiled, and shrugged. _But then again, those two are about the smartest kids ever to walk these halls. _He looked at the place the two girls had disappeared between the racks of books. _And they're really nice kids. I hope they never change._

And indeed, ten minutes later the two girls passed by Mac's desk, each carrying a pile of about a dozen books, ranging in thickness from a couple hundred to a couple thousand pages. Some reference books were literally s thick as a full-scale dictionary. The two piles were neatly deposited on Mac's desk.

"Got what you were looking for, lasses?" Mac asked as he started writing down the books the two borrowed from the library.

"Yes, Mac," April replied. "As usual, thanks for helping out."

Mac smiled evilly. "Lesser of two evils, lass. Last one to go in there without a reference card took two days to come back out. With no book."

April and Ariana laughed as they accepted the pile of books back from Mac. "Well, we'd better get busy. Good evening Mac," the two girls told the librarian.

"Good evening, lasses. Enjoy your material."

"I'm sure we will," April replied, shooting a smile at the librarian. They darted off. Mac shook his head. _So enthusiastic. And always in a good mood. _

April and Ariana ran through the nearly empty halls of the Institute of Advanced Learning, silent as ghosts. Even at full speed, they somehow managed to remain absolutely quiet. They burst into April's room, where they hurriedly deposited the two piles of books on April's desk. A flick of April's wrist locked the door.

"You know, that is so cool," Ariana said. "We can do stuff no one else can!"

April smiled a little sadly. "And we can't tell a soul about it."

Ariana shrugged. "Yet another secret between me and my sister."

April's smile wasn't sad now anymore. "Come on, sister. Let's crack these books."

Ariana nodded enthusiastically. "Let me try," she said, and focused on April's pile of books. The pile lifted slowly, and then drifted slowly away form the desk. It deposited itself near the dresser. "There. Out of the way."

April clapped her hands. "Well done, Ari! You know, when we get this down, this will be so cool!"

Ariana nodded just as enthusiastically. "I can't wait to see the face of someone trying to hurt us. I mean, a psychokinetic burst of power would disrupt anyone sense of reality."

"True," April allowed. "But I don't think I like the idea of hurting someone. Come on, let's get these books!"

Like a couple lionesses, burning with a hunger for knowledge, April and Ariana divided the books between themselves. To make sure that they maintained contact at all times, April's left hand held onto Ariana's right one, their free hands flipping the pages until they realized that their psychokinetic powers could just as well do the trick.

The mind-temple buzzed with activity as the High Sorceress and the Amazon Priestess stared at the information flowing through the temple. Ariana's High Sorceress was now dressed in a red gown, the very air around her bristling with suppressed magical energy. April's Amazon Priestess was dressed in a bright golden version of her old armor, and she was now wearing a set of antlers on her head. Her eyes burned with magical might.

At the moment, Ariana and April were looking in two different directions. Ariana was looking at a map showing an overlay of Alexander the Great's empire with Julius Caesar's Roman Empire. Various colors indicted various expansions.

At the other side, April was looking at two different mid-air screens detailing the different political structures. A third screen popped up, where April started writing her part of the paper.

Ariana had by now pulled up text on the different armies, styles of combat of tactics used by the two rulers. She too, opened a new screen, and started writing.

"Done!" shouted the Amazon Priestess that was April's avatar in this mental realm.

Ariana's High Sorceress threw a look over her shoulder. "Almost done myself," her flowing voice replied. She turned back to her work, and seemed to gather her thoughts. More information raced through the mind-temple's air. "Yes!" Ariana exclaimed. "THAT's it!"

April looked at the information, and shrugged in incomprehension. She let Ariana finish her part of the paper, a task that took less than five minutes. A look at her always-accurate internal clock told April that Ariana finished her work three-and-a-half minutes after she did.

All the external information disappeared, as did the unnecessary screens. All that remained were the two screens with the text for Ariana's paper. the two avatars stood side-by-side in the middle of the circular temple, and each brought their screen closer to the center at a gentle pace.

"Merge," Ariana told the two screens. They floated closer together, until they literally merged, the text in the right screen, April's, adapting to fit Ariana's more down-to-earth style of writing. "Merging complete," Ariana stated superfluously.

"Now all you need to do is write," April told her companion.

Ariana shrugged. "We both have it stored. Let's wait until tomorrow, get into the computer lab, and type it out. Let's do a class-A job."

April smiled, and nodded. "That's more or less become a standard policy with us, huh, Ari? So, care to start on the phoenix material? I can hardly wait!"

Ariana shot her friend an amused grin. "Sure. Bring it on!!"

"You got it, sister! Here it comes!" April shouted enthusiastically. For a moment, Ariana wondered what April as talking about, when a screen opened in front of the two avatars. The real world, and the pile of books to be exact. Ariana could see the reference books piling themselves up, and switching place with the phoenix-books, which subsequently landed on the desk.

"That is so cool!" Ariana screamed. "How do you do that?"

"Well, it's like opening any other screen in here. Only, the feed doesn't come from the memory, but from the senses. That's how I let Learning-April run for an entire afternoon. She ran my mind and body, while I stayed in here, supervising her. I wouldn't want anything to go _wrong_, now would I?"

"So I open a screen," Ariana said, outstretching one hand. The screen opened. It was blank, and virtually see-through. "Sensory input," she told the screen. It displayed a back, black question mark.

"_Think_ sensory input, Ari," April told her friend. Ariana smiled. The screen's question mark disappeared, leaving the two words 'sensory input' in its place.

"ARI!" April shouted, semi-offended. "This isn't a joke, you know!"

"Come on, April! Live a little! You're so serious all the time," Ariana replied, turning back to the screen. The view from Ariana's eyes filled the screen, and the sound coming through Ariana's ears filled the air of the temple.

April, meanwhile, was still staring at her friend. "I didn't know you thought of me that way," the girl said quietly. "I didn't know you saw me as a bore."

Ariana sighed, throwing her arm around April's shoulders. She pulled the other girl closer. "April, you're my best friend in the whole world. We're sisters. We've shared everything, probably since we were born…"

"I don't like the sound of this," April whispered. Ariana smiled.

"Listen, what I'm trying to say is… you're always so serious. You should relax a little. I men, we've done more in our eight years than most people do in a lifetime. We've got college degrees. Multiple ones. We can work for a few years and retire on the salaries we can make. What I'm trying to say is… we should have fun! Sure, we should do our bests, but it's not like what we're doing is vital for survival."

April sighed. "I know… but…I can't help feeling that somehow, what we're doing here IS vital. It's this feeling… like we're supposed to be doing _something,_ but I don't know what."

"You're not going paranoid on me, are you, sister?" Ariana asked.

April laughed, and shook her head. "No, of course not! Come on, let's hit the books instead of having dangerous conversations that could destroy relationships if we're not careful."

Ariana smiled, and nodded. Ariana's sensor-screen closed, and the audio-feed disappeared with it. The next moment, the air in the temple was bristling with streaming lines of text.

"This might take a while," Ariana grunted.

"No kidding," April replied on an equal tone. "Looks like we're not going to get much sleep the next few days."

"Makes me wonder why they told us so late," Ariana said to her friend, while going over some little-known facts of Mendel's genetic laws.

"The phoenixes are all about stress and endurance. They probably told us so late to see how we'd cope with stress, and how we achieve under that stress," April replied, her mind busy with Freud's Penis Envy theories, a theory April found gross, not to mention totally wrong. How could men walk with something dangling between their legs was beyond her.

"Possibly," Ariana agreed, nodding her head, while absorbing the gravitational equation for the planets in the solar system.

The week passed in a haze of absorbed knowledge, the two girls spending barely an hour a night in bed, the rest of the time they spent locked together, going over book after book of phoenix material. They actually managed to go through the seemingly endless supply of phoenix reference material b y the night of Wednesday to Thursday. Going through the night, the girls kept themselves busy with jogging continuous laps around the parkland that surrounded the Institute. Thursday itself went well, although actually following class didn't go as fast, nor was it as much fun as linking.

That evening, both went to bed early, thinking that the exhaustions of the past week entitled them to at least eight hours of uninterrupted bed rest. Tomorrow, Friday, would be the Big Day, the day of the phoenix-test.

Five-and-a-half hours later, April wandered the parkland, unable to sleep. She sat down on a deserted bench overlooking a small pond. She wasn't surprised when Ariana sat down fifteen minutes later.

"Five-and-a-half hours," April muttered, looking at a duck that was floating on the gentle water's surface.

"Five-fifteen," Ariana replied. "Took me twenty-five minutes to gather the courage to leave my room, and five minutes to sniff you out. I must say, you gave me quite a run of the facility. You passed by science labs one, two, and three, you went past the library, the AV room, and the computer lab, before coming out here."

April gave a short laugh. "I thought a walk would get me back to sleep. Instead, I'm more awake now than ever. I just can't believe it. We set ourselves up for eight hours of sleep, and we can't get more than five and a half. What's the matter with us?"

Ariana snorted. "We're freaks. Ever since we were small. We never slept more than four hours. Reverend Mother told us so, remember?"

April laughed, her eyes taking on a distant look. "Poor Sister Magdalena. We used to keep her up so long. Poor woman must have been driven to exhaustion by us."

Ariana smiled, her eyes becoming distant as well. "Yeah. What a great time we had at the convent. Sure, it wasn't as free as this place is, and it was cold, and there wasn't much food…"

"But it was home," April finished emotionally, voicing the feelings of both girls.

"Yeah, it was," Ariana added.

April stood up, wiping some tears from her eyes. "Come on, let's take a jog before going to breakfast."

Ariana nodded, doing her best not to show that she too, had some tears at the thought of home. The two girls' emotions settled on the rhythm of totally silent footsteps.

The day went well, and both girls found it totally strange that they didn't have any sort of nervousness towards the big test after class. Lunch came, and lunch went, and still there were no jitters. Classes ended, and dinner came. Over dinner, both girls just stared at the food that disappeared into their mouths. Neither spoke, and both felt the same thing.

_We couldn't have finished those books. They're supposed to be the epiphany of phoenix-knowledge. Sure, just the basics, but still… there's no way we could have finished them all. We missed a pile. Must have._

Five students in all were gathered outside the phoenix-lounge, the special lounge where phoenix-members could sit, talk, read, or use one of the only computers outside the computer lab.

All were too nervous to talk, and April and Ariana admitted that they, too started to feel the nerves hit. Grace opened the door, allowing the applicants in. Ranging in age from eight-and-a-half to fourteen, the two girls and three boys filed into the room, one of the only times non-phoenix-members were allowed in there.

"Take a seat," Grace said, motioning for the five desks, neatly arranged side-by-side. "Your names are on the desks."

April and Ariana found it disappointing that they had been put on either side of the long row, April on the far left and Ariana on the far right. The three boys were put in the center seats, obviously in some sort of arrangement to keep friends split up.

Rick came round, carrying five packages of paper. "These are your tests. They're individualized, to prevent cheating. Ariana, Ben, Marc, Luc, and April," he read, handing the tests out from right to left. _It was probably done to confuse the applicants,_ both April and Ariana thought at the same time.

"On each desk is a #2 pencil, and an eraser. You can begin… now," Rick said, pressed a button on a remote. A digital clock, paced at the front of the room, started counting down from thirty minutes. The five applicants broke the seal on their respective tests at the same time. They all started scribbling.

April handed in her test after twenty-five minutes. Rick, Grace, and some other members of the phoenixes stared at the girl.

"No one ever finished one of these," Rick said, hushed. April, in consternation, looked over her shoulder. Indeed, thre three boys were still only ¾ through the test. But… Ariana got up.

"Done," she said, handing her test to Rick.

"Shh!" April grunted in Ariana's ear. "We're the first ever to finish the thing in the time allowed!" she spoke verbally, because telepathy would have aroused suspicion.

"What?" Ariana asked, a little louder than intended. The three boys looked annoyed as they continued their test. The clock neared zero. Rick and Grace threw open April's test.

"Correct…correct…correct…correct…" they whispered, each one checking the questions they were best at. Grace threw the test shut, and grabbed Ariana's copy. More or less the same situation followed. The clock had reached zero by now, and the three phoenix members collected the remaining tests. The three boys joined April and Ariana.

Rick shut Ariana's test gently, and put it on top of the pile. "Do you know what this means?" he asked.

"We…eh… failed?" April asked, trying to keep her legs from shaking. "I only got four out of 50 questions right…"

Rick rubbed his forehead, and closed his eyes. Grace tried her best to stifle a laugh.

"April, Ariana… it means that you two did what no one has done before you. You got ALL the questions right, do you know that? And did you know that these tests were put together by Mensa? Ideal IQ to pass the test is about 180 to 190. This test is accurate up to 240. Now, you two had time to spare, and it didn't seem to cost you that much effort to do so, either. You were smiling all the way through the test. I saw not a single frown of concentration, nothing," Grace explained.

"That's because it was fun," Ariana replied.

"_Fun_?" Marc shouted. "_FUN_!?! I slaved for days on those books! I slept for two hours a night if I was lucky! And that test… it came from hell!"

"It was fun," April agreed. "A challenge. For the first time, we got challenged by a test."

Rick looked at Grace. The three other phoenixes look at each other as well. "They said that one day we'd get one of you," Grace said.

"We just never thought there would be two of you," Rick said.

"One of us? What do you mean?" April asked.

"Remember Srinivasa Ramanujan?" Rick asked.

"Indian mathematical genius," Ariana replied. "Proved many mathematical problems."

"And he did it all after reading a book on grade school math," April finished.

"Right. Think of him, and now of you," Rick said.

"You mean…" April started.

"Ramanujan managed to deduct tremendously complex mathematical functions from a simple book of grade school math. He was reputed to be one of those people whose intelligence literally had no limit," Grace said enthusiastically.

"And you think…" Ariana picked up.

"We _know_," Rick said, hitting the test. "Your intelligence is off the scales."

April and Ariana whistled. "That's… new," April allowed finally.

"No kidding," Ariana replied. "Intelligence off the scales…"

"A super-genius, able to do things no other person is capable of doing," Grace said, almost reverently. "You two can do everything you want to do."

"And die young, like the other great super-geniuses," Ariana replied deadpan. "Great. Just great."

April sighed. "Mozart. Ramanujan, whom you mentioned, they all died young… great minds take their toll on the body…"

"Don't be so pessimistic! Who knows what science will bring?" Rick said, standing up, and smiling. Theatrically, he turned to his fellow phoenixes. "Ladies and gentlemen, we are in the company of greatness!"

"Stop that!" April grunted. "We're just like everybody else, okay?"

"Okay," Grace said, smiling. She hugged each one of the girls in turn. "Welcome on board."

"Thanks," each girl said in turn, as they hugged Grace.

"Now I know why you were able to help me with my physics problem," Grace said, smiling, as they disengaged. Meanwhile, Rick had turned to the three boys, who were looking lost at the scene.

"Don't worry, guys. You'll have your results by tomorrow. This by no means changes your chances of getting in."

Three small smiles broke out, and they left soon after, leaving April and Ariana behind in the phoenix lounge.

"Too bad all uniforms are specially tailored, and the badges are made by special request only, so you can't show off until next week, at least. But we can give you these," Grace told her two friends, extending two magnet-cards. "These will grant you access to the lounge, the library, the labs, the computer lab, the AV room, and everywhere else. Only phoenix-members have them, and they have to be returned when a member quiets. They can keep the uniform. Ex-members can even keep the pin, if they've been a member for more than two years. A reward, so to speak."

April and Ariana accepted the magnet-cards, and looked at them. They were a simple broken white in color, with one side displaying a roaring phoenix, an almost exact replica of the badges the two girls saw the others wear. The other side was just plain broke white, and sported the black magnet strip.

"Welcome aboard, April and Ariana," Rick said, sounding official. "By the way, each phoenix-member has a secret name, one they select for themselves, and one only the other members know."

April and Ariana looked at him. Rick shrugged. "We're super-intelligent kids. That doesn't mean we're not kids anymore," he replied.

"Well, it's a cool idea," April said. "I think… I'll take…Phalanx. A battle-order for armies sounds cool to me."

Ariana fingered her archer-amulet. "Sagittarius," she said, looking up. "I'll take Sagittarius, the archer."

"Phalanx and Sagittarius, welcome to the ranks of the phoenixes," Rick said, smiling, and hugging them. The three other members hugged them as well, each one addressing them by their recently chosen names. They felt oddly comfortable to the two girls. Neither of them questioned why, and just assumed that it was the friendly atmosphere that id the trick.

April was seated at the center of a computer table, three keyboards, and three monitors, were present in front of her. Her nimble fingers raced the keyboard directly in front of her, her eyes locked on the center monitor. Her right hand shot out, and pressed a few keys on the keyboard to her right. The right monitor changed a little, and April nodded in satisfaction. She returned to her center keyboard.

Ariana opened the door to the computer lab, and closed it behind her. She was dressed in the phoenix uniform, a uniform mimicking the one April now wore as well. For a moment she looked over her friend, the look of total concentration etched on her features, her eyes shooting form left to right to center. She seemed to be working on three computers at once, and Ariana knew she had to warn her friend… she could distinctly see the keys on the keyboard on the left moving by themselves.

"April?" Ariana asked quietly.

The rattling stopped, and April's eyes locked with Ariana's. "Ari? I thought you were going to bed?" April asked, a frown of concern on her face. Ariana shrugged.

"Couldn't sleep. Thought you might like some company," she replied. "Now, care to tell me what you're doing?"

"Remember AVATAR?" April asked, grinning slightly. At Ariana's not-comprehending nod, she resumed, "Guess what I'm teaching the Institute Mainframe?"

"You're programming the mainframe with an Operating System you designed yourself? Do you have _any_ idea how much trouble we're going to be in if Mr. Person finds out?" Ariana asked, pulling up a chair and sitting down next to April.

"_We_?" April asked, shooting her friend an amused glance.

Ariana shrugged. "You know me. When there's trouble, I like to be in it. Like that time I helped Hope with that still in the biology lab…"

April's fingers, about to resume their rattling, lifted away from the keyboard once again. April's shoulders shook in laughter as she thought of the only phoenix member who actually didn't want to wear the uniform. It wasn't that Hope didn't like many colors… she liked black, and black,… and black. So, her make-up consisted out of a lot of black eye-liner, black nail polish, and white blush to accentuate the dark colors of her eyes. She also liked music April and Ariana had first designated as 'being recorded live in hell'. Hope, deciding that the goody-two-shoes attitude was passé, had taken the two younger girls under her wing, and had taught them to appreciate the darker side of life.

April nodded, her laughter subsiding. "So now all phoenix members have access to alcohol. Let's hope Darla never finds out."

Ariana nodded gravely. Darla, the biology teacher, wasn't likely to just accept a homemade still in what she considered _her_ laboratory. "But, you have to agree, it's good stuff."

"Good stuff with 30% alcohol," April replied. "I swear, I was drunk after a single glass."

"Admit that it's getting better. And as long as the teachers don't find out, the three of us are the heroes of the phoenixes," Ariana said.

April shrugged, and nodded. With a sly grin, she added, "The teachers are ignoramuses. You can't let a bunch of high-IQ kids have free access to a biology lab, and not expect them to be able to brew their own booze. The only thing we needed was that bacterial culture to ferment the sugar-water. Which reminds me, where do you think Hope got the culture from?"

Ariana shrugged. "I don't know, and I don't care. Anyway, weren't you doing something to this poor computer system?"

April nodded. "I _was_. Until someone started chatting to me," she replied, shooting a small grin at her friend. Ariana played the proverbial 'little angel' part when she looked back at April. She cracked her knuckles, and readied herself. "Here we go," she said, and her fingers started rattling once again.

Ariana watched for a couple of minutes, before April broke of. "How about me make this more fun?" she asked.

Ariana turned to her friend. "More fun? How?"

"Like this," April retorted, grabbing Ariana's hand, and pulling her friend along with her into mind-space. Ariana's High Sorceress-eyes looked into April's Amazon Priestess's.

"And now what?" Ariana asked curiously. April grinned, and opened a screen with a flick of her hand. April's vision filled the screen, centered on Ariana for the moment.

"We're going to use our psychokinetics to do the job faster," April said, turning to the screen. The view changed, and the computers filled the screen. April cracked her mental knuckles, and prepared to start typing. Ariana opened her own screen, and turned it to the computers as well.

"Here we go," April said, pulling up a screen with the thousands of lines of computer code. Code she had spent hundreds of hours improving upon, so each and every line was as strong as she could make it. Not only did this make the program smaller, it also made it faster. April's simulated fingers started typing. And then it broke of.

New screens had opened in the temple, and April and Ariana stared at them.

"This is a complete list of the hard drive," April muttered, looking at one screen, making it scroll.

"And this is what you've already entered of the AVATAR OS;" Ariana said, looking at a second screen. She tried to scroll it up and down, but failed to do so. "And I can't make it scroll, April!"

April's head whipped around, and she stared in concern at her friend. Her eyes focused on the screen in question. The screen scrolled when April told it to. Ariana, meanwhile, looked at the directory listing on April's first screen. Once again, she failed to make it scroll.

"What IS this?" Ariana asked, sounding distraught.

"I…I don't know, Ari," April whispered. "It looks as if we're not totally the same… I can access a computer directly."

Ariana crossed her arms. "No fair. I want a power of my own, too," she said, leaning angrily against a pillar.

April put a hand on Ariana's shoulder. "Come now, Ari. I'm sure you'll find your own power soon, too."

Ariana sighed. "I guess so," she replied, not sounding convinced. "But I don't have to like it."

April smiled. "I'll feel the same way once you get your power, and see how much cooler yours is."

"You think so?" Ariana asked.

"I'm sure," April replied. "Come on, let's experiment. I want to see how AVATAR does its job."

Ariana shrugged, and turned to look at the second computer-screen, where April's aborted attempt to enter the source code was displayed. "Here goes nothing," April said, outstretching her hand towards the completed source code in her mind. "Merge," she told the computer-screen and the mental screen. The screens merged. Ariana stared at the sensor-screen, to see the monitor suddenly flash the completed source code. Using her psychokinetic abilities, she scrolled the screen in the real world. It was all there.

"That is so cool!" Ariana exclaimed. "Come on, April! Let's see how it works!"

April smiled, and nodded. The next moment, the two girls awoke in the real world. April sat down at the center console. She entered the menu, and chose 'compile'. "Compile," she said, before actually pressing the 'enter' key. The computer started compiling.

"Estimated time remaining – FOUR hours?" Ariana asked. "That's too long! They'll figure us out! And we need to install it, too!"

April held up her hand. "Don't worry, Ari." She pulled up the left keyboard, and entered a few commands. "There. Now the mainframe, and every computer connected to it, will divert 99% of their resources to compiling the source code."

"Twenty minutes remaining," Ariana read off the center screen. "That's better."

April nodded. "Now all we need to do is wait."

"My turn", Ariana said.

"Your turn for wha-" April started to ask, when Ariana suddenly reached out, and grabbed April's hand. April's question drowned out as the two girls entered the mind-world.

"My turn to pull you into mind-space," Ariana replied, grinning. She opened a sensor-screen. "There. Now we'll know when they're done."

April looked at the screen, and nodded. "So we will. And whatever shall we do, O Great One?"

Ariana smiled. "Arial taught me a game. Chess."

April cocked her head. "Chess, huh? I've read a lot about it… I've always wanted to try it."

"Some thing I said, right before she taught me. And then I kicked her ass," Ariana replied.

April's eyes opened. "Cool. How many tries, and what kind of handicap did she give you?"

"Second try, if you count the game in which she taught me. And HEY! I resent that insinuation! I did _not _get a handicap!" Ariana grunted, putting her hands in her sides. The High Sorceress' form looked impressive, in her red, regal gown, and the air crackling with suppressed magical energy, begging to be released.

"Okay, okay! Set up the game, already!" April replied, sitting down on the black side of a mental chessboard, throwing a look at the sensor-screen, just to make sure.

"We've got twenty minutes. That's ten minutes each," Ariana said. "By the way, here are the rules." Yellow lines streamed through the temple, and April nodded.

"Got it," April said, reaching for the chess clock, and double-checking it to see if it had been set correctly.

"Here we go," Ariana said, motioning for the clock. April, taking black, set the clock in motion. Ariana's started counting down.

Ariana made her move, and pressed her side of the clock, to start April's clock. The two girls played for the next fifteen minutes, before Ariana mated April.

"Cool game. Too bad I get my ass handed to me," April replied, a little dejectedly.

"You were a better opponent than Arial was," Ariana told her friend. "I rather like this game."

April smiled, and cocked her head to one side. "That's because you're good at it, probably. Just like all those military tactics and strategies you're so good at. Honest to God, I don't know how you manage to see all those things."

Ariana shrugged. "I just like going over ancient battles, and see how the battles could have turned."

April nodded, and said, "I can imagine how it's fun, but writing a fifty-page essay on how the Germans fucked up in World War Two seems a little…excessive."

"Like those thirty pages on World War One? Or the forty pages on how Napoleon could have done better against the Russians? And the twenty pages on the Franco-Prussian war? And the…"

"Ari! I get the point!" April said, giving a semi-annoyed smile.

"Sorry, I guess I went overboard. But… it's just so much fun! I mean, it's like I can _see_ the troops moving in my mind. And I can just _feel_ what kind of supplies they'll need, and when they'll need to service their equipment…" Ariana broke off when she found April staring at her.

"Ari…" April whispered.

"You're scaring me, sister," Ariana replied.

"I think I just found your power. I can't believe we never saw it before! Lord, we must be stupid! We're so stupid!"

"What?" Ariana asked, a frown on her face. "What's my power?"

"Tactics! Strategy! That's your strength! You can see how to behave in order to get the desired effect!" April shouted.

Ariana's mouth opened slightly, then snapped shut. "I…see…" she said, closing her eyes. Her mind went over different stages in her life, and Ariana opened her eyes moments after. "Yes, I see it, too! You're right, April! That's MY power! That is so cool! You can talk to computers, and I can out-maneuver everybody!"

April smiled widely, and nodded. "Yeah!" she threw a look at the sensor-screen. "The computers are done."

"Okay," Ariana replied, and the two girls opened their eyes in the real world. April's hands rose, to start typing, when she froze in mid-air. She threw a look at Ariana, and smiled. Closing her eyes, April thought about the direct interface. Before her mind's eye, the computer-screen became visible. She gave it the command to install the AVATAR system.

April pulled out. "Cool!" Ariana exclaimed, seeing what April had done. "So you can give it orders as well? Not just put in some information?"

"Appears like it," April replied, staring at the screen, where a progress bar was visible. The OS took ten minutes to install itself.

_Welcome to April's Verbally Activated Totally Adaptive Rationalizer, _the computer said with metallic-emotionless voice, coming from the two speakers connected to the only computer present with a sound card on board. They had been promised that the next shipment of computers all would have sound cards on board.

The screen was black, with a single green line, which acted as an oscilloscope for the computer's metallic voice.

"AVATAR, This is April Fromthefield. Acknowledge," April said in the microphone connected to the same computer. The green line oscillated with April's voice.

_Fromthefield, April. Designer. Acknowledged._

"AVATAR, software check?" April asked.

_Self-adapting core is active and operational,_ the computer stated. _Drivers have been installed, and are operating smoothly. Network has been detected; the nodes have been contacted, and the nodes have replied. Network settings have been set, and the network is operational._

"A verbally activated self-adapting operating system," Ariana said, in awe. "April, you did it!" the two girls high-fived.

"I can't believe it! It actually works!" April shouted. Turning back to the microphone, she said, "AVATAR, this is April Fromthefield. Allow user name Ariana Smith full unrestricted access."

_Acknowledged. New user, please state your name, preceded by the word 'AVATAR'._

"AVATAR, this is Ariana Smith," Ariana told the microphone.

_User name Ariana Smith acknowledged. Full and unrestricted access has been granted._

"AVATAR, stealth mode. Access restrictions apply," April told the computer.

_Acknowledged. Stealth mode engaged._

The green line disappeared, and the Ms-DOS cursor reappeared. April ran windows 3.1, just to make sure that everything was as they had left it. Everything was in order.

"So, let me get this straight. You installed an experimental verbally activated operating system of unknown capabilities on this network, and nobody knows about it?" Ariana asked.

"And no one ever will," April replied, smiling. "AVATAR is designed to upgrade itself. As technology increases, so will AVATAR. Am I good, or what?"

"The next Bill Gates," Ariana said, laughing.

"Willamina," April corrected. "I don't have the right accessories to be a 'William', huh, Ari?"

Ariana burst out laughing, and hugged her friend. "No, but you'll have other assets, once you're older!"

April started laughing as well. "As long as people don't treat me different because of those 'assets', it's fine with me," she replied dryly, breaking the hug. "Let's go back to our rooms… I feel the need for some sleep."

Ariana checked her wristwatch. "For the hour or so we've got left," she added. Linking her arm through April's, she continued, "I'm game, sister." Armed together like that, the two girls exited the computer room, leaving behind one of the most advanced operating systems ever designed… and totally unknown to the rest of the world.

Ten-year-old April knocked on her friend's door. She received no response, and checked her watch. _It's already four in the morning,_ she thought. Since she had knocked her usual way, which meant trailing her hand over the door, April decided to knock again. This time she did it the 'normal' way, namely by tapping her knuckle against the door. Again, she received no response.

Sighing, April put her ear to the door, and closed her eyes. She heard no heartbeat or breathing on the other side. She took a slow breath through her nose, and detected Ariana's scent. _Okay, so she left. I should've checked THAT the first time,_ April grunted to herself. She sniffed at the exit of the branch, and turned to the right resolutely.

Following the scent, April walked down the hallway, stepped into an elevator, and sniffed out which of the buttons Ariana had pushed recently. She was in luck, only two buttons showed up: the button to the level their rooms were on, and the garage. Since April knew her friend wasn't on their level, she pushed the button for the garage, and waited patiently for the lift to descend.

April once again took a breath of air, and followed Ariana's scent, now masked by oil, grease, and petroleum derivates. Her mind cancelled out the unimportant smells, and focused solely on Ariana. April stepped through the maze of cars without a hint of trouble.

"Hi, Ari," April greeted her friend, who was bent over a Honda's open engine. "What are you doing?"

Ariana kept wrenching away at was must have been a stubborn part, while replying, "Hello yourself. As to your question: I'm walking the dog."

April smiled slightly. "Just make sure it does everything it needs to do someplace outside the compound of the Institute. I wouldn't like to get my shoes dirty by stepping in dog-business."

Ariana chuckled, straightened out, and took a step back. She pointed at the engine. "Who tightened you? A gorilla? Release, I tell you!" a grunting sound was audible, followed by a nut flying out the engine, and snapping into Ariana's hand. "I _knew_ those powers came in handy."

April shook her head, smiling. "So, is this just an overhaul, or are you trying to actually do something to this thing?"

"Just an overhaul," Ariana replied, looking pointedly at April. "And I know how much you hate getting your precious little hands dirty, but could you at least refer to this with its proper name? It's called a Honda Civic. And this part here, is its engine," Ariana said, pointing at the open hood.

April raised her hands. "Sorry, miss down-to-earth-grease-monkey. I just came to ask you if you were interested in some more cartoons, but I guess you're busy."

"Just give me ten minutes. I'll tighten this nut back up, and change the oil. I'll be with you in ten minutes."

April shrugged. "If you say so," she replied dubiously.

"I do say so," Ariana said, smiling. The nut lifted into the air again, and disappeared into the engine compartment. "Could you hand me that pan over there?" she asked, pointing at a certain object on a nearby rack.

"Yuck!" April said, looking at the obviously over-used oil pan. "No _way_ am I touching that." The pan lifted into the air, and floated over the Ariana.

Ariana sighed, psychokinetically took over the pan, and shoved it right under the engine. She snapped her fingers, and the seal to the car's oil reserve floated up to meet her. "There. The oil's draining," Ariana said, using a rag to wipe the excess grease off her hands. Closing her eyes, she pushed the rest of the oil out of the engine using her powers. "I don't like doing this, but if you want speed, I'll give you speed," Ariana said, continuing to wipe her hands as the old oil was removed from under the car, and the seal placed itself back in place. A can of fresh oil floated up.

The top of the oil-reserve lifted, the can opened, and started pouring its contents into the engine. "Here's the tricky part," Ariana said, closing her eyes once again. Before her mind's eye, a sensor-screen popped up. She looked at the oil-gage. When it had about reached 'nominal', she closed off the flow of oil from the can. The watched the oil-level rise for another few seconds. It stopped precisely at nominal.

The top screwed itself back on, and Ariana put the almost-empty oilcan on the cart, while the pan with the old oil, emptied somewhere, placed itself on the bottom level of the rack. Ariana rubbed her hands, smiling. "There. All done!"

"Just take a shower first," April grunted. "You smell like a grease-monkey. And you _could_ have dressed in something other than the phoenix uniform. Your white blouse looks black and gray."

"Sure. Whine a little, why don't you?" Ariana teased. "Yes, Mom. I'll take a shower. And I'll change clothes, too. I'll even bring these personally to Mrs. Watson from the cleaning service."

April shut up, and looked at the ground. "Sorry, didn't mean to smother you. Sometimes, I just can't help myself."

Ariana shrugged, and smiled. "That's what you have _me_ for! To bring you back in line every now and then, so you don't get cocky."

April smiled slightly. "Thanks, girlfriend."

"Hey, no problem! Now, I'll go take a shower. You go to the AV room, and set up the next tape," Ariana said, stepping off into their branch. April nodded, and ran for it, her footsteps totally silent as she ran.

Ten minutes later, the two girls were sitting side-by-side in the darkened Av room, facing a projector screen. Next to April lay a big remote control.

"So, what's the latest thing Jeanine lent us?" Ariana asked.

"Actually, this time, we have a choice. The last season of 'Dragonball Z', or the last season of 'Sailor Moon'?" April asked.

"Let's go with Sailor Moon first. I'm in the mood for some laughs," Ariana suggested. April shrugged.

"Did you lock the door?" April asked, starting to manipulate the controls on the remote.

"Yep," Ariana replied. "Get on with it, already!"

"Yeah, yeah. Don't be so impatient. Here we go," April muttered, fumbling with the keys. The screen lit up, and gibberish came through the speakers. The screen flashed, ten times faster than normal, matching the sound.

The two girls pulled into mind-space, where their mental avatars were already seated in a couple of comfortable chairs. A large sensor-screen decorated the wall in front of them, while the rest of the temple had been darkened, most lights extinguished. Bypassing their eyes, the two girls were now able to enjoy the ten times accelerated frame rate, a feat their eyes were just unable to handle.

The screen stopped flashing, exactly one hour later. The gentle lighting that came on automatically found two girls hugging.

"I _hate_ those kinds of episodes," Ariana said, sniffing.

April blew her nose, and smiled through some of her tears. "I know what you mean. I don't like crying either."

"It was a beautiful ending, though," Ariana continued, wiping the last of her tears away.

"It was kind of expected. The good guys won, the bad guys lost, and nobody died. Permanently," April replied, chuckling. Ariana chuckled as well, and nodded in agreement.

"Come on, give is DBZ! I need something to wash the gooey stuff out of my body with," Ariana said, gently elbowing April, who smiled.

"Okay, here we go," the ten-year-old replied soon after, after having first fought a little with the remote control. The lights dimmed once again, followed by the sound and picture running at ten times normal, and two girls who pulled into mind-space.

"Okay, that was better. I needed some good old-fashioned bad-guy trashing to clear my head," Ariana said after the screen clicked off, and the gentle lighting returned.

"No kidding," April replied. "They kept going higher…"

"And merging," Ariana replied. "I mean, we had Trunks and Goten merge into Gotenks, we had Vegeta and Goku merge into Vegetto…"

"And they still got trashed, until the very end," April replied, grinning. She got up. "Come on; let's put this room back the way we found it. It would attract attention if someone found we had calibrated the system to run at ten times normal."

The two girls left the AV room ten minutes later, after having put everything back in order. First thing they did was walk to the phoenix lounge.

"Hey, Jeanine," April greeted her friend, a fifteen-year-old brunette who had been a phoenix member for about seven months now. "Here are your tapes. Thanks for lending them to us."

"Yeah, thanks," Ariana added.

"No problem, guys. Did you enjoy them?" Jeanine asked, accepting the stack of videos back from April.

"Sappy ending with Sailor Moon," Ariana grunted. "The damn series made me cry."

April elbowed her friend. _No swearing!_ Her mind shouted at her friend on the brief contact. "Good thing we had Dragonball to wash things down with."

Jeanine looked from one to the other. "You're talking as if you watched them all, one after the other. Don't tell me you went through the night to watch them all? There was at least twenty hours worth of material on these tapes."

April shrugged. "Actually, twenty-four hours and twenty minutes."

Jeanine's mouth opened. "I stand corrected," she replied. "So, tell me, did you watch all these tapes in succession?"

Ariana grinned. "Secret," she replied enigmatically.

"Once we started watching, we couldn't stop. We HAD to know how things ended. Especially in Dragonball. The story goes on and on…" April added in.

Jeanine grinned. "Addictive, isn't it? I warned you thazt Anime has that effect on people."

"No kidding," Ariana grunted.

"Want a nightcap? Or rather, breakfast?" Jeanine asked, throwing a look at the clock.

"Sure," April replied, sitting down in a couch on the other side of the table Jeanine was sitting at. Ariana pulled up a couch as well, and sat down in between her two friends.

Jeanine, meanwhile, had walked to the cabinet the phoenixes kept their home-stilled booze in. She poured three small shots, and walked back to the table, where she sat the shots, and the bottle, down.

"To anime," Jeanine toasted.

"And to good friends who lend out their tapes," April added.

"And to the Japanese, who give us the art form in the first place," Ariana finished.

"Hear, hear," the two other girls replied, and they finished their glasses.

"Another?" Jeanine asked, holding out the bottle.

"No, thanks," April replied. "Alcohol has a much stronger effect on us than on that fifteen year-old body of yours."

"I'll take one," Ariana said, holding out her glass. Jeanine filled it, along with her own glass, and both took a sip. They would make this one last. April got up, and retrieved a can of Mountain Dew. They spent the hour-and-a-half before breakfast in a pleasant conversation. After their second drink, both Ariana and Jeanine stopped drinking alcohol, to make sure they wouldn't be drunk before the day even began.

A stunning fourteen-year-old brunette walked into the bio-med lab of the Institute of Advanced Learning. She was dressed in a phoenix uniform, the phoenix pin displayed proudly on the right of her chest. She took a needle and syringe, the type normally used for a blood test, and she ties off her left arm. Disinfecting the inward crook of her elbow, the brunette takes the syringe, and finds a vein.

She winces when the needle slides in, and starts filling the small vessel with her blood. She kept breathing in short bursts, not liking the feeling of the needle whatsoever. Finally, the container has been filled, and the girl pulls it out of the syringe. She quickly pulls out the syringe, and rubs some cotton wool over the small puncture mark. After that, the girl puts a small circular band-aid on it.

"I _hate_ pain," the girl whines, disposing of the needle and syringe in the appropriate bin. "Why do I do this again? Oh, yeah… Because I'm in the final month of my PHD for genetics and microbiology," she girl replies to her own question. Taking the blood-container, she starts going through the motions required for a DNA test.

A couple hours later, another stunning brunette walked into the bio-med lab. This one had a darker shade of brown hair, but looked just as stunning as the first girl. They could be sisters.

"Hey, April. How's it coming?" the newcomer asked.

"Not good, Ari," April replied. "Take a look at this. I think I screwed up somewhere."

Ariana frowned at her friend, and sat down next to her. Only then did she look at the monitor. "What is _that_?" she exclaimed.

"My DNA profile," April replied. "That is my _fucking_ DNA profile! I screwed up somewhere, but I can't find where! I ran the test three times!"

"I'm not the one studying genetics, but I know that a human is supposed to have a double helix. That is-" Ariana said, cut off by April.

"A triple helix. In other words, it's not even DNA. Deoxyribonucleic acid is a double-stranded molecule held together between the base pairs, the nucleotides, normally, adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine, A,G,C,T. Now, I have three… and the nucleotides no longer fit one-on-one. Each strand is exactly one third of a circle removed from the other two strands, so they fit two-on-one. I have FIFTY percent more genetic material than anyone else!"

Ariana started laughing. "That is one big miscalculation, April. Maybe you should try it again."

"I did! I drew my own blood two times, and I did the test three times! THIS IS MY GENETIC PROFILE!" April shouted, looking at her fiend with tears in her eyes. "Either I turned stupid overnight, and I can't even do a simple test as outlined in my books, or…"

"Or you're right, and there's something freakishly wrong with you," Ariana finished. For a few seconds, both girls remained quiet. "Here. Test me," Ariana said, holding out her right arm. "Maybe that will help you."

April smiled slightly, and hugged her friend. "Thank you, Ari. You're a really good friend." April released the hug slowly, and retrieved the syringe she needed for the test.

Two girls stared at the split-screen computer monitor. On the right, the side was labeled 'April'. The left one was labeled 'Ariana'. Both sides displayed a triple-helix.

"We're both freaks," Ariana replied, hushed. "We both are genetic freaks."

April shook her head. "No. this isn't right. I must have done something wrong. I turned stupid overnight, and I can't do a simple DNA test. I'm burnt out. That has to be it. There's no other explanation."

"Hide this," Ariana said. "Hide this, and try one more time. We were found together on the convent's doorstep. It is possible that we're both from the same parents. Test someone from phoenix… someone we trust… and see the results."

April sighed. "I…I don't know, Ari. This… is impossible. I think I did something wrong, or my brain's shutting down…"

Ariana grabbed her friend, and shook her. "Listen to me! Before you start doubting yourself, you should make absolutely sure! If there is one person who _won't_ burn out, it's you! I've seen you do the impossible, over and over again! I _know _you, April! I believe in you!"

April took a deep breath, and nodded. "You're right." She hugged her friend. "Thanks, Ari. I needed that." She got up, and ran to the phoenix lounge, carrying a small tray with a syringe on it.

A couple hours later, April and Ariana were staring at a perfectly normal double helix. "I…I…" April squeaked.

"We…we're freaks," Ariana muttered. "What…How…?"

April hung her head. She began crying. Ariana hugged her friend, who immediately clung back to her. Together, the two girls cried long heaving sobs for long moments.

"We need to find more," Ariana whispered through her tears. "We need to find out who did this to us. It's not natural. Someone must have done this to us."

April lifted her head from Ariana's shoulder, her old resolve returning. "Yes. You're right. And I'll find them! Come on, Ari!"

"That's my girl," Ariana replied, running after a resolved-looking April, and silently thanking that neither of them appeared affected by the crying.

In the computer lab, April sat down behind the first computer terminal she could lay her hands on.

"AVATAR, awaken. Authorization April Fromthefield."

The monitor turned black, with only the standard green line displayed. _AVATAR ready,_ the computer replied, the line oscillating with the computer-voice.

"AVATAR, download genetic profiles from the bio-med node of the test subjects April Fromthefield and Ariana Smith."

_Download complete,_ the computer dutifully replied half a minute later.

April silently thanked the computer business' increased computer speed and increased storage. This would have taken a long time back when AVATAR had first come online.

"AVATAR, post messages on news forums dealing with keywords 'government conspiracy', 'government secret programs', and 'Government genetic engineering projects'. Message should read as follows; 'I have come across these genetic profile. I can't tell you where I got them, because my sources wish to remain unknown. If anyone can tell me _anything_ about them, please contact me at 'April@youcantknownmyaddress.com'. Thank you.' "

_Message recorded,_ the computer answered.

"AVATAR, attach genetic profiles, without name or place references, and send message."

_Order executed._

"AVATAR, start the web browser," April said, grabbing the mouse and keyboard of the computer. The web browser opened, and April started typing. She st up half a dozen different internet accounts, ghost emails to bounce the message from and to, until it would finally drop into an anonymous mailbox.

"AVATAR, engage steal mode," April whispered, a couple minutes later. The computer reverted to the windows 95 operating system it had been using normally.

Barely a few hours later, when both girls had about half an hour before breakfast, an answer came in that astonished both of them.

"Project Zodiac, Programs Phalanx and Sagittarius," April read.

"Let's skim it," Ariana muttered, grabbing her friend's shoulder, and pulling both of them into mind-space.

April opened a connection to the computer almost immediately after arriving in the temple. "Full speed!" she yelled at the computer-screen in her mind, which immediately followed the order, the text moving at literally mind-boggling speeds through both girls' brains.

"That's not much," Ariana muttered, after blinking, and looking back into the real world.

"We're genetically engineered freaks," April muttered. Her flat hand hit the desk. "Who DID this!?" she screamed. "Who has the AUDACITY to do this to us? WHO?"

Ariana looked at her friend, never having her like this before. "April? Are you okay?" she asked slowly.

April took a deep breath, and looked at her friend. "Sorry, Ari," she whispered. "It's just… I…I don't know if I'm strong enough to take all of this… and it's easier to just get mad, you know? I feel so scared…and…and alone…and…violated. I just want to know who is responsible for ruining our lives, you know?"

Ariana sighed, and grabbed her friend in a hug. "It's alright, April. I understand. I feel scared too. And violated,… everything we ever believed in…I mean, we're not even human."

"We are," April said. "We're just composed of different bits and pieces, but we're human." April chuckled through her tears. "At least that's a comfort," she said sarcastically.

Ariana shook her head, and chuckled slightly as well. Suddenly, she pulled away slightly to look April in the eyes. "You once said that AVATAR does everything you ask of it. Do you think it can break into the military mainframe?"

"You mean, to find out more?" April asked. She thought for a few moments, and then shrugged. "It's not connected to the Internet, so we'll need a phone number. And I don't think the phone numbers to the modems of secret government mainframes are listed."

Ariana sighed, rubbing the last of her tears out of her eyes. "Too bad we don't know anyone in the circuit. It'll take months to find the phone number, and _then_ we still need to get passed the password."

April looked at her friend with that peculiar thinking-expression again. "AVATAR," she then said. "Search and locate. Pentagon Mainframe. Full phonebook, all locations and media."

_Search underway. Estimated time to completion is ten hours._

"AVATAR, continue search in stealth mode, and enable background searching," April said.

_Background operations enabled. Stealth enabled._

"There. Now anyone can work at these computers, and find no drop in speed, while all free cycles are used to search for the mainframe numbers," April said, more to reassure herself than to enlighten Ariana, well aware of the fact that Ariana knew this just as well as she did.

General Perkins stared out the window of his post, the one he had held for the last fourteen years. Out his window was a construction site. Perkins sighed deeply. "Oh, what a world we live in. What bitter irony. Me, who once was in charge of the most secret of operations, am now commanding officer of the construction troops. One barracks after another, with a road thrown in here and there to balance things out."

Perkins swiveled his chair around, facing his desk once again. He took a rapport from right in front of him, and stared blankly at it. "Almost out of concrete," he muttered. He took the appropriate blank form, and started to fill in the order for more cement, when the phone rang. A quick look at the phone revealed that it was being called directly, instead of through his secretary.

Perkins' forehead frowned. Not many people knew how to call him directly, and it annoyed him that he didn't know who it was. He picked up.

"Perkins," he replied.

"It is a nice day of the year," the voice on the other side replied. Perkins sat up straight, his eyes growing big as saucers. Really _large _saucers.

"For a barbeque," Perkins replied. "I will supply the beer."

"And I'll bring steaks," the voice replied. Perkins let out his breath, and fell back in his chair. The voice chuckled. "I want you to look at something," the voice went on. "It came on the newsgroups earlier this morning.

"What do you wish me to see, sir?" General Perkins asked.

"Look at your mailbox. I'm sure you'll know what to do with the email," the voice replied. "I'll wait."

Perkins gulped. _Okay. This is NOT good. Oversight contacts me, after FOURTEEN years, to look at something. And then he'll WAIT for me to read it!? What's going on? World War Three?_ Perkins' fingers shook as he accessed his email. A message popped up, heavily encrypted. A password prompt popped up. Perkins typed in his access code. A code he hadn't used in fourteen years, and it sent vibrations of dread through his body. Something appeared on his screen.

"Sir… this…"

"My thoughts exactly," 'Oversight' replied. "We need you back. Your transfer orders should be arriving just about…"

"Sir, Department of Defense wants to talk to you, on line one," his secretary called through the intercom.

"Now," 'Oversight' said. "I expect to see you in two hours. Don't be late." 'Oversight' hung up, leaving Perkins to stare at his receiver for a few seconds; before he remembered the flashing light of the D.O.D. he pressed 'line one'. "Perkins here…"

April and Ariana stopped their game of 'Doom II' the moment the last girl left the computer lab, around closing hour, eleven at night. "AVATAR, results?" April asked.

A list of results appeared on the screen, in order of probability. _Search is not yet complete. Do you wish me to continue?_

"AVATAR, stop search. Start calling the numbers, in list of probability," Ariana said.

_Acknowledged. _

After thirty minutes of calling numbers, the girls finally seemed to get somewhere. April's computer powers also enabled her to circumvent passwords, and ability that was put to good use.

"I think we've got it," Ariana whispered. "Project Zodiac. Program Phalanx. Program Sagittarius."

"Look at this, Ari," April whispered. "A list…"

"Four HUNDRED different donors?" Ariana asked, choking.

"Look at this… a comment that not all donors were voluntary," April whispered. "Some of the names on this list… Look at this, Ari."

"List is not complete. Classified names available for higher clearance only," Ariana read. "How many people are on this list?"

"There are three hundred and fifty names on the list," April whispered. "That leaves fifty-two classified names."

"We've got everyone here… from Bill Gates to someone named James Potter, who used to live in Great Brittan," Ariana said.

"_Potter_? Some poor schmuck is actually called _Potter_?" April chokes out. It was a testimony to the fragile state of her mind that April found the name amusing. She, who had never judged anyone by whatever reasons, was now laughing at a name of someone she had never met before.

"What? It's a name like everybody else's," Ariana replied, seemingly ignoring the implications. "Besides, we've got more important things to do… there's more to this file."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," April whispered. "Both about the name and the file."

Ariana returned to the previous screen in the file, and soon found something else. "Added genes?" she asked.

"What would _that_ mean? We've seen all the genes they added," April replied, her voice rising in volume a little. "Follow it, Ari. Let's see what it means."

The screen that popped up made the two girls' blood run icy cold.

"Canis Lupus?" Ariana asked.

"European Wolf," April whispered. "And the Crocodylus Johnstoni… the Australian freshwater crocodile, too? And Felis Leopardus, the leopard…"

"I don't understand! Why the animals?" Ariana shouted. "We're not even HUMAN! We're…we're…"

"Freaks. Mutations. Monsters," April whispered dejectedly. "And as to why… isn't it obvious? All these animals had something to contribute. The wolf enables us to see by night, and gives us enhanced hearing, and enhanced smell. The crocodile has that third eyelid, that enables us to see without blinking, and to dive without closing our eyes or risk damage… and the leopard gives enhanced endurance, and speed…"

"Damn," Ariana whispered. She buried her face in her hands. "Dear Lord in Heaven, what have we done that is so wrong?" she asked, her voice sounding so frail is seemed to be a thin piece of rice paper. April could only nod, all her strength to speak gone. She rested her head on Ariana's shoulder, and hugged her friend. Tears stained her cheeks. She just reached out, and terminated the connection. Neither had the strength to keep going.

"We've got them!" One of the operative shouted at General Perkins. "We just had an unscheduled entry into the Zodiac files on the mainframe, and I checked up on it. Sir, we've got them. There's no other way. It has to be them."

Perkins stood up from behind his desk at one end of the room he and his team were in. Zodiac no longer had to monetary leverage it once had, and they were now housed in a small building. Perkins walked to the desk of the operative.

"Why does it have to be them?" Perkins asked, looking at the read-outs on the screen.

"First of all, they only accessed the Zodiac files, which are deeply hidden, and whoever this way specifically searched for them. And secondly… there was no login or a password recorded. Sir, only someone with a direct link- "

"Can do that," Perkins finished. He reached over, and pushed the red button on the wall. "Red Alert. We've found April." He took the phone, and pressed a key. "This is Eagle. We've confirmed April." He looked at a second computer screen, where a second operative had traced the call, back to something called the Institute of Advanced Learning. Perkins resisted the urge to whistle in appreciation. The call had been routed through dozens of countries, including a couple of satellites. No one short of the Pentagon could ever have found them.

Perkins burst out of his appreciative reverie; the school records had already been consulted. "We've got a confirmation on Ariana as well, sir. Both girls are registered under the names we assigned them. The location is the Institute of Advanced Learning, in Texas." Perkins listened for a few moments, and then replied, "No, sir. I don't know either why we didn't find them earlier, if their original names were kept. But then again, I was in the construction business for the last fourteen years." Perkins glowered at the next words. "I apologize for my inconsiderate words, sir. It will not happen again. I will make immediate work of it, sir."

The next morning, April and Ariana were jogging dejectedly around the building. Both girls hadn't slept the previous night, their minds wandering to the gruesome fate they had uncovered.

"It's just so unfair," April whispered as they jogged. "We've never done anything to anybody… and now…this."

Ariana shook her head as well. "I don't understand either, April. And did you read the note? We won't live past thirty-five."

April snorted. "The candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long," she replied. "At least we won't die of old age."

Ariana chuckled. "My sister, the eternal optimist."

"Optimist? Try realist," April grunted. "Right now, I'm not feeling the need to be optimistic."

Both girls stopped running, and they looked at one another. Their hands met. _Did you hear that?_ April asked.

_There's someone in the bushes,_ Ariana replied. _Trying to hide. We're being followed._

April took a breath, and slowly turned around to look at some nearby bushes. The parkland surrounding the Institute of Higher Learning contained bushes and trees in abandon. Her eyes only saw millions of shades of gray, all color gone in the darkness. It was a side effect of the wolf-genes. During daytime, they could see colors the normal way, but at night, they only saw gray-shades. A good thing was that there were lots of shades of gray, so it wasn't crippling, just annoying.

_I see movement,_ April whispered, even her mental voice was trying to be quiet.

Ariana turned around, and looked at the same bushes. Slowly, the two girls started to advance. Big mistake. Suddenly, two men rounded the corner of the building the two girls had been jogging towards, raised tranquilizer guns, and shot.

April and Ariana, hearing the men behind them, twirled around, and were just in time to see the darts arriving. Silently, they sank to the ground, their world blank.

The two shooters approached the limp bodies, each using the tip of his boot to nudge the bodies, to see if there was any life left in them. "Package secured," one man said in his microphone. He clicked it off, and turned to his companion. A third figure, a woman, approached from the bushes.

"Fast bitches," the woman muttered quietly.

"Very fast. Could've dodged the darts if they'd been trained correctly," the first shooter replied. Just then, a completely silent helicopter appeared, floating over a nearby open patch of grass. The two shooters each picked up one of the limp bodies, and the three operatives raced to the helicopter, bracing themselves against the downdraft. They winched the two girls inside, before climbing aboard themselves.

April slowly opened her eyes, and groaned against the pounding pain in her head. She tried to sit up, and fought the urge to vomit. Slowly, she looked around. She was in a concrete cell, not very deep, with one wall being nothing but heavy metal bars. The other walls were solid concrete, not even a ventilation shaft visible. April was lying on a cot against the far wall. She saw Ariana rising on the cot at the foot-end of her own bunk, also against the wall furthest from the bars.

"Ari?" April whispered, her voice sounding broken.

"Come back in a few hours," Ariana whispered back, groaning as she sat up. "Can't remember my name right now."

April wrestled herself to her feet, and struggled over to Ariana's cot. She fell down next to her life-long friend. "What happened?" April whispered.

Ariana shrugged, the motion sending shots of pain through her head. She winced. "Don't know," she replied. "My head is pounding. I can't remember, even if I _did_ know."

"Same thing," April replied, letting her head rest against the wall. She closed her eyes.

"So, our two guests are awake," a bass rumbled outside the cage. Two sets of eyes opened.

Both girls looked the speaker over. He was tall, and seemed to be in his late forties or early fifties. A muscular appearance was almost-hidden under the suit he wore. April decided that to be the first to break the silence. With a tiny voice, quivering with fear, she asked, "Who are you?"

The man grinned without humor, his eyes remaining the same cold electric blue that had terrified both girls from the start. "Just call me Oversight. Everybody else does."

"Overseeing who?" Ariana asked, suddenly regretting her decision to speak up as the man focused his cold eyes on her.

This time, his smile seemed to be at least a little genuine. "I oversee Zodiac, of course."

At the mentioning of the name 'Zodiac', the two girls almost shed their skins. They jumped together, hugging each other. "Wha…what will you do to us?" April asked, subdued.

'Oversight' smiled humorlessly once again. "I just wanted to see what had become of the two most glorious fighters ever created."

April and Ariana remained quiet, hugged together in the center of the cage, their fearful gazes locked on the man calling himself 'Oversight'. He started pacing in front of the bars. "I was overseer of the Zodiac project, fourteen years ago. We impregnated four hundred females with our genetically enhanced prototypes. Only four made it full term. You two, a girl named Irene, and a boy named Ben. You were glorious!" the man said, his voice taking a strange pitch, as if he were proud of something, and his fist balled itself. "You would have been glorious! Fighters without remorse, stronger, faster, and better trained than any warrior ever before in humanity's history!" 'Oversight' shouted, his pacing becoming agitated.

"And then the stupid fucks in Washington stopped our funding. We had to terminate all projects immediately. We managed to terminate Ben and Irene. But then, a doctor by the name of Gerald, Jean Gerald, saved you two by killing the nurse responsible with your termination. He got you out, and we thought you all destroyed. It was only recently that we found out you were still alive. Because of a message posted on the Internet, a message containing two genomes I knew well, for I helped create them…"

"Ours," April whispered.

"Yours," 'Oversight' said, smiling that cold smile again. "I see that all that intelligence wasn't wasted." He opened the briefcase he had put down earlier, next to the only door. he pulled out two folders.

"Let's see. Mechanics. Electricity. Computer sciences. Political sciences. Physics. Mathematics. Microbiology and Genetics… and the lsit goes on," 'Oversight read from the files. "You developed your intellects. Now, I want to know… how did your other abilities surface?"

"What other abilities?" Ariana asked, immediately regretting it once more.

Oversight chuckled. "What abilities, indeed. Tell me… can you move things with your mind?"

April and Ariana looked at one another. One moment of eye-contact was all that was needed. To their credit, both girls had the presence of mind to look shocked back at 'Oversight'. "What?" April asked.

"That's insane!" Ariana shouted.

'Oversight' chuckled once again. "I know enough. You would have been the best of the best, one of only four in the entire world. But thanks to bureaucratic nonsense, that will never happen." He walked to the door, put the files back in his briefcase, closed it, and opened the door. it was a heavy steel door, and was operated by a keypad, locked with a ten-digit code.

"Come in," 'Oversight coldly ordered. Three big and mean-looking men entered the room. All three were dressed in the standard green camouflage outfits of the army, and all three were carrying assault rifles.

_I know those things… _April's mind whispered. _Somehow…_

_I know, _Ariana whispered back.

"Kill them," 'Oversight' ordered. "But be careful, those two are still more than capable of ripping you to pieces." He left the room, and the heavy metal door shut behind him.

The three soldiers looked at the two shaking fourteen-year-olds. The one soldier that appeared to be the leader looked at his two companions. "Those two? Dangerous?"

The two others chuckled. One was a large black man, while the third one was a Caucasian of medium built, but with very leering eyes. "You know, I bet we could have fun with them before we dispose of them," the third soldier grunted, rubbing his crotch obscenely.

April and Ariana shuffled closer together. _They going to RAPE us?!? _April's mind shouted so loud it made Ariana's ears ring.

_Oh, God, no…_ Ariana whispered, too shocked to notice the ringing in her ears.

The leader smiled, and looked them over. April and Ariana had developed just as Zodiac had intended. Both girls were eye-catching. He smiled wider. "Sure," he replied. "Armin, open the door," he ordered the black man. "And grab one. John, keep the second one in your sight. We don't want them to get lose," he said with a chuckle.

"Yes, sir!" the white soldier said, grinning. The black man had by now opened the door, and started for Ariana.

"C'me h're, honey. Armin will show you a _really_ good time," the black man said, grabbing Ariana and pulling her.

"NO!" April shouted, struggling to keep her friend in her arms. "Let her go!"

John coldly butted her on the back of her head with his rifle. April gave a small grunt, and the world blacked out for a moment or two. When she regained vision, she was being dragged by John to a spot in the middle of the room. Armin had by now struggled Ariana face-down onto the table. John wrestled April to her knees, and pressed the barrel of his rifle to the back of her head.

"Huh. She's a fighter," Armin told his commander. "She's a real cat… I'll enjoy breaking her of those nasty habits."

"NO!" Ariana shouted. "Please! Don't!!"

"Hush, honey. Uncle Armin is going to make you squeal with pleasure in a moment or two," Armin whispered in her ear, pressing himself on top of her, and reaching in between her legs for the panties under the phoenix uniform both girls were still wearing.

Ariana squealed when she felt his hands on her intimate parts. April, shocked, was still sitting on her knees with the barrel of M16 against her head. Then, as Ariana squealed, something _snapped_ inside her. She _knew_ it was the right thing to do.

John was watching Ariana struggle against Armin. He was fully distracted. April howled, distracting the three men for just a second. She shot up, and around, kicking the riffle out of the way. The next moment, she had crossed the distance to John, and he kicked him right in the family jewels. John groaned, his eyes crossed in pain, and went down.

At the same time, the leader lifted his rifle in April's direction. Armin, distracted by April and John's fight, wasn't really paying attention. He thought that the 80 kilos he had on his quarry would be enough. He was mistaken. Ariana's foot lifted backwards, kicked him in the nuts, and threw him off her.

She saw the commander aim for April. Ariana screamed. Her psychokinetic powers formed themselves around her body like a mold, and she jumped at him. She slammed in him with enough force to break his breastbone, and landed. The commander was catapulted backwards, hit the wall behind him, groaned over the audible noise of snapping bone, and sunk to the floor.

Ariana twirled around, and raced for Armin, who was on all fours, trying to get up. She kicked him in the face with enough force to knock him out cold. April was standing there, watching it all, in shock. She never noticed John groaned as he got to his knees. But Ariana did. Her psychokinetic powers were still around her. She snarled, jumped up, and crossed the distance of at least five meters nearly instantaneously. She slammed into his face, and could feel one eye socket, one jawbone, and his nose break. She thought she felt his nose break in three different places, but she wasn't sure.

"Come on, we have to go!" Ariana shouted at her friend, and raced to the door. April shook off her shock.

"Right," she replied, and ran after Ariana, who had by now stopped in front of the door, and was readying her psychokinetics to blow the door to pieces. She knew it was a long shot. She had no idea how much effort it would take to break the massive metal door.

"My turn," April whispered, and closed her hand over the keypad. The keys turned from red to green, and the door slid open. Ariana shot her friend a smile, and raced through the open door. April was right behind her.

"Garage. Maybe we can get a car," Ariana grunted, following a sign marked 'garage'.

"We're going to _steal_ a car?" April whispered, sounding shocked at her friend. "Thou shall not steal!"

"They were going to rape us, and kill us," Ariana grunted. "Don't be such a damned nun."

"Ari!" April shouted, forgetting where they were for the moment. "No swearing!"

Ariana took a deep breath. It was the stress. She knew it was the stress, and she knew her friend had been affected worse than she had been. "I'm sorry, April. But, think for a moment. We don't know where we are. We might be in the middle of some desert. We should take precautions, get a car, for just in case we need it. They're government. They'll never miss it."

April sighed, turning yet another corner. "You're right," she allowed. Ariana pushed open a door, and the two girls burst inside. "I'm sorry, Ari. I don't know why I yelled like that…"

"Forgotten," Ariana replied. "Here, let's get in," she said, using her psychokinetic powers to pick the lock on a low profile white Nissan.

"Over here!" they heard a female someone shout. "Help me! Please!"

April and Ariana halted for just a second. "Who's there?" Ariana barked. Both girls could hear that something was off with the voice. Adrenalin still raged through their bodies. They lacked the peace of mind to focus on _what_ was wrong.

"The name's Carol! Please! I need help! They got me trapped up here!" the voice sounded urgent. "Quickly! I don't know how much longer I can keep them from finding you!"

April and Ariana blinked. Their hands locked. _Whoever this is has been helping us? How?_ April asked. Ariana shrugged.

"And how-" Ariana began.

"I hacked the security system, and overrode the cameras as soon s I saw you take out those goons. Come on! We don't have much time!"

April shrugged, and Ariana sighed. The two girls raced to the origins of the voice. What they found made their jaws drop. A white car was up on a raised platform, its wheels spinning in mid-air.

"Help me! Lower the ramp!" the car begged. "I can help you!"

"How?" Ariana asked, concerned.

"No time!" April grunted, pressing the button marked 'down'. "Tell us underway."

The ramp lowered, and the car shot off it, backwards. The front doors clicked open in mid-flight, and neither girl wanted to miss the ride. Ariana jumped behind the wheel. April jumped in the front passenger seat. The door closed without them doing anything.

"Hang on!" a female presence on a small screen in the center console urged them. The car took off in direction of the gate. It started lifting. "I hacked the gate controls, but the security system is resetting its codes. We've got another five seconds… four…three…two…one…"

Alarms went off, and the gate plummeted to the earth behind them. "There's the front gate," the female announced. "Hang on!" the car accelerated, and crashed through the chain-link fence, right next to a massive iron gate. "Always hit them where they're weak!" the female hollered, and raced off.

"Now, who are you," Ariana barked. "And let me drive!"

"Can you drive?" the female asked, curiously.

"Since I was eight! Now let me drive!" Ariana shouted. The female on the screen shrugged. One of the numerous lights blinked off, and Ariana immediately grabbed the car's wheel. It twisted a little as Ariana recovered from the shock of suddenly being in command.

"Now, as to who I am… I am Carol. Don't ask me why, because it's just a name. They were going to liquidate me. Outlived my usefulness, you know?"

Ariana shot a worried glance at her friend, then over her shoulder to check for pursuers. "Don't worry, I'll tell you when we're pursued. Built-in radar system," Carol assured the driver.

"Okay," Ariana replied distractedly. Right now, she would accept anything at face-value. She was feeling a little queasy. "April? You okay?" she asked, concerned.

"Stop…the car," April whispered. Ariana stood on the brakes, marveling at the strength of the brakes. The car skidded to a halt. Immediately, April threw open the door, fell out the machine, onto her knees, and started vomiting. Ariana got out from the other side, and knelt down next to her friend, holding on to her shoulders.

"Sick," April whispered. "So…blood…violence."

Ariana let out a deep breath. "I know. I feel sick, too," she assured her friend.

"Let's…not do that again," April whispered, still shaking. "When I think of it…" the rest of her sentence was drowned in heaves of whatever was in her stomach.

When it seemed to be over, Ariana hugged her friend. "I promise. We'll try to avoid them next time." April just nodded, and allowed Ariana to help her into the car.

"Are you okay?" Carol asked.

"As long as we stay away from them, yeah," April whispered. "I _hate _violence."

"Don't worry," Carol said. "I'll keep them away from you. Both of you."

"By the way, what are your capabilities?" Ariana asked, just to have something else to focus on.

"I am running on a uranium power core, with a half-life of five hundred years. Engine is completely electric with 650 Newton-meters worth of torque. Zero to hundred kilometers an hour in three-point-five seconds."

"Electric engine. That's why we didn't hear you," Ariana whispered. "When we're excited, our hearing shifts to normal human hearing and ultra-sonic frequencies of an electric engine go right by us."

Carol's imagine chuckled. "I have an aluminum frame, with a Kevlar shell. Bullet proof up to quite a big caliber. Same with the windows. And now, the fun stuff."

"Fun stuff?" Ariana asked.

"Armaments," Carol replied. "Since I have a limited supply of ammunition, the depleted-uranium machine guns shouldn't be used unless necessary. For every-day use, I have an electro-magnetic pulse gun, running off my power core. It will kill an engine, no matter what type, and knock out a human. Or kill him, if you charge the gun far enough. Depending on your preferences."

"Carol! You _won't_ kill someone," April ordered. "EVER!!!!"

Ariana nodded in agreement. "You'd better keep those machine guns retracted. Too much of a temptation otherwise."

Carol sighed. "Great. The most fun to use, but I can't use them…"

"CAROL!" April grunted.

"Just kidding," Carol replied with a smirk. Suddenly, the smirk disappeared. "Pursuers!"

"What do you mean, they broke lose?" 'Oversight' yelled at the commander of the small group.

"As I said, sir… one moment we have everything under control, the next moment they're ripping us to pieces," the man replied, shaking.

'Oversight' slammed his hand on his desk. "Perkins!!" he yelled. General Perkins came running, full-speed.

"Yes, sir?"

"Get me the security tapes! NOW! And organize your men to find them! And shoot them on sight! Got me??"

"Yes, sir," Perkins replied, running from the office. He was back within thirty seconds. "I've sent out all three remaining teams, sir. And this is the tape of the cell."

Exactly ten seconds later, 'Oversight' sunk back in his chair. "Their genetic memories awoke…" he whispered, looking up at the commander of the small force, sitting in a wheelchair with temporary bandages wrapped around his broken ribs. A support collar was around his neck.

"Do you have any idea what you DID?" 'Oversight' yelled, jumping up from his chair. "We encoded the expertise of an entire SEAL team in those girls! Demolitions, communications, weapons, and tactics! We encoded every martial arts style we could find, and added to it every ranged and hand-to-hand weapon! You and your damned FUN just awoke an entire genetic LIBRARY of combat expertise in two genetically engineered super-soldiers! Do you have _any_ idea what that means??"

The man, pale because of his injuries, turned even whiter. "You just _activated_ two operatives that, by themselves, rival an entire SEAL team in expertise! And there are TWO of them!"

The man gulped.

"We have one lucky stroke," 'Oversight said, calmly, while turning to look out his window. "They weren't trained. They have no idea what they're capable of."

Suddenly, the door was thrown open. 'Oversight' was planning to kill whoever disturbed them, and he would do it personally.

"Sir! They took Carol!" Oversight's jaw dropped.

"Stop perimeter search, and go after them… and may God have mercy on all of us," 'Oversight' whispered.

The small screen in the center console showed a top-view map of the area, rather than Carol's electronic figure. The showed a small white car, them, and a slightly larger black car, their pursuers. From the white car, red lines radiated outwards, showing the radar signals. The distance between the two cars indicated that some time was still available. 

"Give me command!" Carol screamed excitedly. "I can take them!"

Ariana grunted, and shot a confused glance at her friend, still looking pale in the passenger seat. April nodded. "Just don't kill them."

Ariana pressed the button accompanying the light that had gone out earlier. The light came back on, and Carol screamed in glee as she executed a full bootleg turn. Targeting crosshairs appeared on the windshield. An indicator marked 'EMP-gun' flashed next to the crosshairs. Directly below it, a second indicator showed that the gun was charging.

The two cars raced together, and Carol grew quiet. April gasped in a deep breath of air, and held it. Ariana started to sweat. "Carol…"

"Let's play chicken," the AI muttered. The driver in the other car obviously got the same idea. The two cars raced closer, head-on. Ariana's hand snapped to the 'control' button. She pressed it. The light went out. It came back on.

"CAROL!!!" Ariana shouted.

"Our Father…" April whispered, closing her eyes.

The windshield-HUD indicated that there were six seconds to impact at current velocity. Five seconds. Three seconds. One second. Carol screamed. The black car swiveled, and spun out of control as the driver barely missed the white car. It landed in a ditch. Carol spun the car around once again, and came to a halt next to the almost-in tact wreckage in the ditch next to the road.

"Never… EVER do that again!" April ordered.

"Come on… it was fun…" Carol replied. "I wouldn't have killed you… you're all I have now! You've got to believe me!"

"You will ALWAYS give back control when either of us presses the button," Ariana said, her voice eerily level.

"MOVEMENT!" Carol shouted. The two girls' eyes flashed to the wreckage. The driver got out of the wreckage, looking fine, if bruised a little. He grabbed for something in his belt.

"He's armed," Carol informed them. "I am bulletproof. He can't shoot you. But his bullets will dent the bodywork."

Ariana pressed the control button. The light turned off. She pressed the accelerator firmly down, not expecting what came next. All conventional internal combustion engines, be they gas or diesel fueled, used gears. It could be an automatic transmission, but the engine used gears. An electric engine has two gears: forward, and reverse. When Ariana pressed the accelerator, the car shot off like a rocket, and would have continued to do so. In three-point-five seconds, they reached one hundred. The ride was smooth, without hiccups from transmissions or otherwise.

"Wow," Ariana breathed five second later, her foot releasing the accelerator, only to catch it so they would remain at a constant speed.

"Why didn't you let me stun him?" Carol asked. "Now he will call in where he saw us."

"Carol, never hurt anyone unless it's absolutely necessary. That man was no threat, except for some dents in the paintwork. Running saved us the dents, and him the trouble of waking up with a headache from an EM pulse," April preached. She still felt awful. "Anyway, Ari… I'm going to try and catch some sleep."

"You still look sick", Ariana informed her. "You do that. I'll try and keep Carol in line while you're out."

"Hey!" Carol protested weakly. She 'turned' to April. "I hope you'll feel better once you wake up."

"So do I," April whispered. "Thanks for the concern, both of you." She closed her eyes, and nodded off, feeling secure in the knowledge that Ariana wouldn't let anything happen to her.

"Now what?" Ariana whispered to herself. "Carol, do you know where we are?"

"Nevada. Roadmap is coming right up," Carol informed Ariana. "May I suggest you go to Las Vegas? Lots of people, very eccentric, so they won't notice us. And there are lots of credit transactions there, too."

Ariana frowned in confusion. "Credit transactions?"

"To hide you ripping off the government, of course," Carol replied, chuckling slightly. "Do you see that little indentation in the center armrest? Press your thumb to it."

Ariana's gaze shifted from the windshield to the center console. She saw the little thumb-shaped indentation, and released her right hand from the wheel. She pressed her thumb to the indentation, which immediately lit up white.

"I've got your thumb-print scanned," Carol informed her, as a lid opened up, revealing a hidden compartment in the center armrest. In the lid itself, a golden-looking credit card was hidden, pressed to the lid by a rubber band. In fact, there were several dozen cards there, all in different colors, ranging from pitch-black to virgin-white.

"With the gold card. It's a special operative's credit card. Untraceable, and unlimited. But, just in case, we can hide ourselves even further. The other cards can be used in different places all over the world… most major countries are represented."

Ariana nodded, resisting the urge to whistle appreciatively. April was still sleeping in the passenger seat. So far, the conversation hadn't bothered her. Ariana didn't want to press her luck. "Okay. Vegas it is," she whispered, and threw a look into the chidden compartment itself. "What are those syringes for? And are those fountain pens?"

"I'll explain once April's awake," Carol replied. "I wouldn't want to give the same explanation twice. But I think you two will be enthusiastic. It's really cool… the latest in communication technology, and the last gizmo to be added to me, before they decided to scrap me."

A silence descended, Ariana thinking about the 'cool feature', and Carol just processing the latest events. "Tell me, Carol, if you don't mind me asking that is, how many operations did you go on?"

Carol was silent for a few seconds, and Ariana opened her mouth to apologize, when Carol answered, "Two."

"Two?" Ariana asked.

"A surveillance mission, and an information retrieval mission," Carol replied. "I was originally conceived to be working with operatives like yourself… enhanced, if you know what I mean. That's why I outlived my usefulness. They tried to add some stuff so I could work with normal operatives, but it just didn't work out."

Ariana patted the dash. "Poor thing. Well, you're with us now."

Carol's electronic image smiled. "Yeah," she whispered. "I'm with you now…"

April opened her eyes about thirty minutes later, stretched, and yawned. "That was a good nap," she purred.

"Feel better?" Ariana asked.

April smiled slightly. "Yeah. Not great, but better. So, what have you two been talking about while I was out?"

Ariana shot an amused glance at her friend. "You were really out of it, weren't you? Well, me and Carol have been talking a little about her features, and some of her past."

"Okay, fill me in. If you don't mind that is."

"Not at all, Carol replied. "As I told Ari, I was originally conceived to be working with operatives like you. Genetically enhanced operatives. They installed some added features, so I would be able to work with normal operatives, but it just didn't work out… so I outlived my usefulness, and they tried to cancel me."

April shot a look at Ariana, who didn't seem to mind Carol calling her 'Ari', so April let it be. "I've only been on two operations… the first was a stakeout. The second was simple data gathering. Hacking a computer system, in other words. That was it."

Ariana pressed her thumb against the indentation in the center armrest. The compartment slid open. "And we've got a couple dozen credit cards, valid I most major countries. Virtually unlimited and practically untraceable credit cards," Ariana said, grabbing the gold US-card, and holding it out for April to see.

"We can steal fro the government?" she whispered. "Ari, we're not going to use them. Even if they are practically untraceable, they're still traceable. Somewhere, somehow, a flag will be raised, and they'll know where we are. Besides, it's morally despicable."

Ariana sighed, and replied on a reasonable tone, "We need money. In these outfits, it won't take two hours for Zodiac to find us. We stand out, wearing these schoolgirl uniforms."

April took a deep breath, held it, and thought for a few seconds. She let out her breath. "Damn, I hate it when you're right. I don't like it, though… those are tax-dollars…"

"So am I," Carol replied suddenly. "Does that mean you wish you hadn't freed me?" Carol's tone sounded carefully neutral, as if the car tried to hide her true feelings.

April looked at the small screen, directly at the electronic representation of Carol. "I…I…that's different!"

"Why?"

"You're alive! At least, I think you are alive… we saved you from being killed. That's not theft. That's rescue."

Carol chuckled. "Glad you feel that way. But, sometimes, you need to do something… see of it as choosing between two evils. You can take the card, withdraw a couple hundred dollars, or maybe even a couple thousand, get you some clothes and a ticket to some god-forgotten country, and go under ground. Or, you don't use the card, and starve to death, if Zodiac doesn't find you first. I won't run out of fuel, since my nuclear battery lasts over five thousand years, but you need food and drink. I can supply a bed to sleep in, but you need sustenance."

April sighed, and nodded dejectedly. "Hey, Ari. Can you top at that phone booth? I think I've got an idea," she said, perking up a little.

Ariana frowned, yet started to pull over the car.

"Why?" Carol asked.

"To make a phone call?" April replied, smirking. "Why else?"

"Because I can phone just about anyone," Carol replied. Her face disappeared from the screen, and a keypad took its place. "Just enter the number."

April dialed, while Ariana concentrated back on the road.

_Rick Bergman,_ the answer came, and Ariana shot her friend a huge smile.

"Hey, Ricky!" April greeted the ex-phoenix-member. Rick, eighteen by now, was working as one of the big shot programmers at Microsoft.

"April!" Rick replied. "Good to hear from you! How are things at the Institute?"

"I wouldn't know," April replied sadly. "Listen, Rick… we're in deep trouble. Really deep trouble."

"How deep?" Rick wanted to know.

"We hacked something we shouldn't have," April replied.

"Like what?" Rick asked, suddenly sounding very interested.

"Pentagon. Something called the Zodiac files. It's got something to do with genetic engineering," April whispered. "Anyway, Rick, they got us. They came for us last night sometimes, but we managed to escape. Ari and I don't know for how long. We need to get out of the country. _Fast_. Remember the 'what if' scenarios we used to play at phoenix? Well, right now, we're going to do a '_what if you woke up a wanted murderer with a shoot on sight order'_ scenario.

"Okay," Rick replied, voice pensive. Suddenly, he seemed to have a solution, and replied, "I'll leave ten goats at box fifteen, Blue Mountain Airport."

April's mind immediately translated. _Ten g's in locker fifteen at the Redmond train station._ "Just remember the chess results," Rick cautioned her. "Anyway, I have to go now, before anyone gets suspicious. If you ever need something, call me."

"Thanks, Rick. That truly means a lot to us. We'll pay you back. We promise."

"Once a phoenix, always a phoenix. You'll always be my kid sisters. Anyway, I have to go. I hope never to hear from you again."

"And we hope never to have to call you again," April replied, before pressing the 'disconnect' button. It was what had been said, rather than how it had been said. Rick had expressed his hope they would never need his help again, a sentiment mimicked by April.

"What does all of that mean?" Carol asked. "It sounded like gibberish! I couldn't make out a single thing. It sounded as if he helped you, but I wouldn't know what. And I don't know any blue mountain, let alone a blue mountain airport."

"It's a code, Carol," Ariana explained. "Ten goats mean ten gs… ten thousand dollars. Locker fifteen in just that, box fifteen. Blue Mountain is a cover for Redmond, where Rick works. The airport means the train station. If Rick had said the station, then it would have been the airport."

"And the chess results?" Carol asked, sounding as if she were enjoying herself.

"That's the code for the locker's combination lock. One loss. Five draws. Six wins. The chess results," April explained.

Carol shook her head, impressed. Ariana looked at the hidden compartment, still open, and something jarred her memory. "Carol, you said you were going to explain the syringes and the pens once April was awake," Ariana reminded the AI.

"Right. With all the stuff that's been happening, I forgot. Anyway, the syringes contain four tiny micro-machines each. Two attach themselves to each optical nerve, while the two remaining attach themselves to the auditory nerve. The four tiny machines have two separate functions. One, they transmit to me what you either see, or hear. It allows me to see what you see, and hear what you hear. The second operation is a tracking beacon. The codes and frequencies are set by me, so only I can trace them."

"That's so cool!" April shouted. "And the pens?"

"They're not pens. They're injectors," Carol explained. "They contain a bio-neural implant. You press the pen to the back of your head, just between the spinal cord and the skull, and press the button. It will inject the implant into your brain. Two results: One, it will hurt like hell. Second, it will enable me to talk to you, send you information, and download programs directly into your mind. Pay-off, the injector may miss, and fry your brains instead."

"Eww," April and Ariana replied. "Let's stay with the normal links first… We'll see about the implants later," April said, after exchanging a look with Ariana, who nodded in agreement.

"Then give me command, and inject yourselves. Any vein will do… the micro-machines will search your nerves by themselves," Carol told them.

"What about power?" Ariana asked. "Don't we need to recharge them?"

"Good question," Carol replied. "No, you don't. They're small enough to be able to sustain themselves on the small electric currents from your nerves. You might experience a drop in vision and audio reception, but your brain will compensate within minutes. These were designed for normal humans… enhanced girls like yourselves should find no drawbacks."

Ariana sighed, pressed the command button, and took the first of four syringes available. She rolled up her left sleeve, removed the protective cap from the syringe's needle, and clenched her teeth. She brought the needle to the vein in her left arm, and pressed the clear fluid into her bloodstream. "It's water, used as an agent to carry the four microbots," Carol said. "Don't worry about any drawbacks."

Suddenly, Ariana yelped, and clenched her eyes hut, her hands snapped out, as if trying to hold her eyeballs in. It was followed immediately after by a second yelp, and Ariana clenching her ears.

"CAROL! What's happening??" April shouted, jumping towards Ariana, trying to hold her quiet. The girl quieted down almost immediately.

"The bots locked in place," Carol replied. "Sorry, Ari. I didn't know it would hurt."

"No problem," Ariana whispered, rubbing some tears from her eyes. "I don't feel any different… vision's normal. So are my ears…"

"I am receiving you," Carol said, the screen displaying the sight received from Ariana's eyes, in a vertically split screen.

"I hate pain," April whispered, taking the second syringe. "I hate needles. I hate pain. I don't want to do this," she whimpered, already starting to shake slightly as she rolled up her sleeve. "Please, don't hurt. I hate pain," she continued softly as she removed the protective cap. She took a breath, and whispered, "Here we go."

She closed her eyes. "Hey! Look where you're sticking!" Ariana shouted, causing April's eyes to open.

"Oh, right," she replied goofily. "Wouldn't want to miss the vein." She clenched her teeth, and took another deep breath. Slowly, the needle slid into her vein. Since she had recently drawn blood from just about anybody for her DNA tests, April was quite adept at sticking needles in the human body. She didn't feel it. She didn't feel the syringe emptying itself in her veins. She pulled the needle out, and put it with Ariana's in the empty ashtray.

Then, she yelped as a painful stab made itself present in the back of her eyes. They felt as if they were being burned, pushed outwards, and exploding, all at the same time. Just as the pain in her eyes subsided, the second stab in both her ears made itself known. She howled as her head seemed to fill with pain, every nerve in her brain on hyper-overload. It only lasted two seconds. They were the two longest seconds in April's life. Finally, she opened her eyes, and could wipe the flow of tears from her face.

"It hurt," she whimpered. "It hurt so much. Good things it's over."

"I know," Ariana replied. "Believe me, I know."

"I'm receiving you as well," Carol said, showing April's eyes on the screen. "Anyway, whereto now?"

"Well, since April officially put us on 'get the hell out of here', we'll first need to decide where we're going to run to," Ariana replied, looking at pointedly at her friend.

"First, let's go to Redmond. Locker fifteen at the station holds some money for us. And after that… I suggest a cargo plane to somewhere," April said.

"A cargo plane?" Ariana asked, surprised.

April ignored Ariana's question, and turned to Carol. "Carol, could you make a fake passport? And, if you can, to what countries can you do it?"

Carol seemed to grow a little with pride. "I can get you into whatever country you want. Of course, there are some countries you don't _want_ me to get you into."

"Muslim countries," April and Ariana said at the same time, and burst out laughing. By now Ariana had gotten the point as to why April wanted a cargo flight. Carol.

"So, where are you planning on going?" Carol asked.

"You know I used to study Japanese culture, customs, and language, right?" April asked. Ariana looked at her friend, and nodded.

"You want to go to Japan," Ariana stated.

"Yep. You don't have to come with me, if you don't want to. In fact, it would probably be safer if we split up, and let Carol decide who she wants to go with," April said.

Ariana's foot hit the brake, catapulting April forward in the protective harness of the four-point seatbelt. "I am _NOT_ leaving you," Ariana stated flatly. There was something dangerous in her tone. "We've been together all our lives. We were found on the convent doorstep together. We went to the Institute together. We learned together, laughed together, and cried together. I am not leaving you. Not now, not ever. And if that makes us easier to track, that's _their_ problem, not ours. Carol's more than capable of protecting us."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Carol replied with a slight chuckle. She turned to April. "I have to agree with Ari. Splitting up may be the superior tactical decision, but splitting up a team like yours… you haven't been trained, April. If you _had_ been trained, I wouldn't have a single problem with it. But right now, you're two schoolgirls with some psychokinetic powers. That's it. You don't know how to exploit your strength, tolerate pain, or use your genetic memory."

"Our _what_?" April and Ariana barked at the same time. Carol seemed to flinch.

"Your genetic memory. What? You didn't think that fifty percent added genetic material would give you some nifty enhancements? Here. This is what's in there. First of all, there is the Navy SEAL training, which gives you a pretty good basis in survival and weapons training. On top of that, there are the specialist survival courses for the arctic and the Antarctic; desert survival training, jungle training, and the Australian survival course. You have a fourth Dan black belt, or equivalent, in half a dozen martial arts styles, ranging from Judo over Karate to Jiu-jitsu and Thai kickboxing. You have knowledge of hand-to-hand weapons, small firearms, rifles, shotguns, snipers, portable rockets and artillery."

"What kind of hand-to-hand weapons?" Ariana asked, seemingly the only one capable of voicing the thoughts spooking through the two girls' minds.

"Knives, swords, and staves. Of course, all those skills were designed to be flexible. You can pick up a piece of lead pipe, or a two by four, and use it as a staff. You can use any piece of sharpened metal as a sword. Any knife will do. You two are walking genetic libraries of fighting and survival skills."

"We're monsters," April whispered, looking at her hands. The two same hands that had skillfully manipulated computer keys, papers and pages now seemed to be the hands of a monster.

Carol sighed. "No, you're not. Your acts so far have proven that. Listen, we're standing here. Mind getting us under way again? We need to remain inconspicuous."

Ariana mindlessly pressed the accelerator. The car shoved off. "Now. Both of you. Look at me. Ari, let me drive."

Ariana nodded just as mindlessly as before, and pressed the control button. Carol took over, and the girl let go of the pedals and wheel. She looked at Carol, mimicking her friend.

"You two are not monsters. You are two beautiful girls, scared, confused, and feeling betrayed. That's understandable. But you're not monsters. You never hurt anyone. You were protecting yourselves. You were even kind enough to help someone in danger, while you yourselves were being hunted," Carol said, feeling oddly uncomfortable.

"But…but we hurt people," April whispered. "We hurt people…" she repeated, her voice tiny.

"To _protect_ yourselves!" Carol shouted. "What? You would rather have those guys rape you? And kill you? Do you really want you would have gone out like that? With the last look on this Earth being some guy gaining pleasure from your pain? Pleasuring himself at your expense?"

"No, but-" Carol cut April's reply off.

"No buts! This world isn't good and evil. There's more gray than anything, and sometimes you need to do bad things in order to keep yourselves safe!"

April nodded silently. Ariana put her hand on her friend's shoulder. "She's right," Ariana whispered. "Heaven knows that a car is giving us advice on life. We've been too sheltered. We don't know what life is all about."

Carol smiled slightly, not resenting the fact that Ariana referred to her as a 'car'. She was a car, and it was something Carol had no problems with.

April closed her eyes, and nodded silently. A small smile formed itself on her lips. "Yeah, you're right," she whispered. "Right now, we need to focus… before they catch us. Carol, to Washington State, and Redmond to be exact."

Carol saluted. "Yes, ma'am!" April and Ariana chuckled slightly, sat back, and relaxed in the car's plush seats. Their hands found each other's by second nature. They closed their eyes, and pulled into mind-space.

Carol drove on, keeping one camera on the girls as she did so. The two girls looked peaceful in their slumber, and it stirred up emotions in Carol. She looked away. _Damn emotions. They keep getting in the way,_ she thought in her CPU. She looked back at the girls, and an involuntary smile spread across her lips. She adjusted the seatbelt slightly, allowing for some more leeway. She gently lowered the two seat, putting them in a more comfortable position.

_But if my emotions hadn't been here, would_ _I have helped them?_ Carol asked herself. _Or would I have just taken off, leaving the only two people ever to care enough to help me, instead of see me as a fancy computer with no real value?_

Carol sighed. She didn't like the answer her CPU supplied. _The mission objectives are paramount. _She would have left the girls… Carol's imager pulled up the faces of Ariana and April. Carol's imagines software supplied her with the image Carol had demanded of it: April and Ariana, staring in mute shock at her, as she sped away, to freedom… leaving her rescuers behind. Carol immediately erased the image. She turned to wards the girl, and saw April twitch a little, pulling up her legs as if trying to get warmer.

Carol smiled, and adjusted the electronic climate control. The air turned nice and warm, and a small smile crept upon April's features as she relaxed. Carol sighted, shaking her slightly at the two occupants of her interior. _Sleep tight. You'll need it._ As an afterthought, she added, _and thank Zodiac for that conscious-sleeping ability. You can sleep whenever you want to sleep, making time zones meaningless, and enabling you to be fresh at all times._

Carol continued the journey, her thoughts her own, and her one sensor always turned towards the two occupants of the car, her interior adjusting to their comfort. Yes, this was one time Carol didn't mind having emotions.

"Got it?" Ariana asked as April dumped herself on the front passenger seat.

April held out a briefcase. "Haven't opened it yet." She reached for the control button, and Carol took over the controls, getting them underway. April fiddled with the combination locks on the briefcase, set to the same code as the locker. The two locks clicked open, and April lifted the lid. Inside the briefcase were bills of twenty dollars. Five-hundred of them, making an exact ten thousand dollars in easily used and inconspicuous-looking denominators.

"Good old Rick," Ariana whispered, looking at the money. "Trust him to think of using small bills."

"And now what do we do?" Carol asked. "I can keep touring the city endlessly, mind you, but I'm sure you need some food in your stomachs and some new clothes on your bodies."

"Clothes, then food. And then we need to find a cargo flight to Japan," April decided. "Carol, can you pull over at the nearest JC Penney? Ari and I are going shopping."

"Sounds like a plan," Ariana agreed.

"While you're in the store, I'll start making phone-calls to freight companies, and see what we can do about getting the three of us shipped to Japan. Will anywhere do, or do you prefer a specific location?" Carol asked.

"Somewhere out of the way, if you can find it. I hear the northern island of Hokkaido is out of the way, and has less crowds. Easier to disappear if you go camping out high in the mountains," April replied. "But any location will do. I know Japanese culture and language quite well, and we shouldn't have any trouble finding how to get away."

Carol pulled over at the store. "Okay. I've got the phone book, and I'll start calling," she said.

"We'll be back shortly," Ariana assured the AI. "But just to be sure, keep a tag on us. You never know."

Carol chuckled. "I'm never letting you out of my sights, don't worry."

Half an hour later, the two girls reappeared from the store, both dressed casually in a pair of jeans, a black sweater and a matching gray vest. A careful appliance of make-up made the two fourteen-year-olds appear as sixteen-year-olds. They got inside, and opened the glove box, where they deposited two velvet jewelry boxes. Some packages disappeared on the back seat.

"You dumped the uniforms?" Carols asked, not sounding surprised.

"Too conspicuous. We only kept the phoenix insignia," April replied. "We just couldn't part with them… After being phoenixes for five years, we just couldn't give them up."

"They're a link to your past," Carol said. "It's good to have something like that. Now, I have some good news. I called around, and found a freight company."

"Really?" Ariana asked, perking up. "That _is_ good news. So, where and when do we go to wherever it is we're going?"

"We leave from Seattle cargo airport, tomorrow at noon, and we're going to Hokkaido, just like April had asked, to the regional capital of Sapporo. Now, the bad news. It'll cost us nine hundred dollars, provided you'll stay inside the car, and require nothing to eat or drink."

"Money's not a problem," Ariana replied. "Now, passports. Can we get in?"

"I've entered your information into the country's database. Now, for the papers itself, I've been working on them. They should be ready by tomorrow, and they'll be delivered to the airport."

"Won't that let them know where we are?" April asked, suddenly sounding concerned. "Using the contacts from Zodiac, I mean…"

"They're not Zodiac contacts. I was very careful about that. They're so-called 'independents'. They work for whoever pays them. Five hundred dollars. Pay on delivery."

April shrugged. "If you say so. I'll trust you." Ariana nodded in agreement, and pulled over into a Macdonald's drive-in.

"What do you want?" Ariana asked her friend.

"I suddenly realize I'm famished," April noted. "How long has it been since we've eaten anything?"

"Too long," Ariana replied. "I'll have… let's see… two Big Macs, two large fries, a salad, and a large coke."

"Same for me, but leave the salad and coke. Give me a quarter-pounder with cheese and a chocolate milkshake instead," April said, not bothering to look at the menu.

"Hungry devils, aren't you?" Carol asked, chuckling slightly. "Do you go here often? I mean, you didn't bother to look at the menu."

"I memorized it a while back," April replied. "Just like I did with the menus of… let's see… Wendy's, Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken,…"

"I get the point," Carol grunted, as small jam moved a spot. "Next question. Why? Did you go out that much at the Institute?"

Ariana and April looked at each other, and started laughing. "It was a bet, actually," April answered. "I bet Arial twenty dollars I could memorize anything she wanted me to in ten minutes, as long as it wasn't more than ten pages. Of course, I can do twenty pages in ten minutes in my sleep, but she didn't know that. So, she took the bet, and give me the menus of fast-food joints."

Carol started laughing. "Basically, you cheated your friend out of twenty dollars," she added in a chuckle.

"Arial came from a rich family. Twenty bucks made no difference to her," April replied. Ariana pulled up to the post where they could enter their orders.

"Good evening," Ariana said. "We'd like four big Macs, four large fries, a quarter-pounder with cheese, a salad, a large coke, and a chocolate milkshake," Ariana said. The lady on the other side told them how much it would be, and April took the appropriate amount of bills from the briefcase. It took them another two minutes before they could pick up their orders. Ariana pulled over at a nearby parking spot, and the two girls made short work of the fast food.

As they were eating, Carol couldn't help but make a comment. "You do know that most teenage girls would kill you if they saw you like this, don't you?"

"Hmpf," Ariana grunted, washing down the last of the second Big Mac with some coke.

"They'd kill for your figures, and they'd kill you for the amount of food you're putting into them," Carol continued.

"And we'll kill you if you don't let us eat," April rumbled good-naturedly. She rubbed some 'secret sauce' from her chin with her napkin, and drank some chocolate shake.

Carol shut up, shaking her head in amusement. _They eat like starved Special Forces soldiers, too. Damn you, Zodiac. They can't even eat normally._

April put the trash in her bag, while Ariana did the same with hers. The two girls looked at each other in quiet amusement as they crunched the bags together with their psychokinetic powers. Carol whistled in appreciation as they chucked the small balls into a trashcan.

"You know, I knew you two had activated your powers from the security tape at Zodiac HQ, I mean, with the way you moved, it was obvious. I never thought you'd have this level of control."

The smile wavered a bit. "We've been practicing since we were eight," April replied quietly. "It was a fun game, a secret just between the two of us. We never told anyone."

"No kidding," Carol grunted. "You'd be carved up in a lab if you were lucky, and put in a mental ward if you weren't."

Ariana chuckled. "We could produce evidence. Option number one seems more likely."

"Of course, we could have escaped easier from a lab than from Zodiac," April added.

Carol chuckled. "True, but you couldn't have rescued me from a lab, could you? Listen, it's getting dark. Maybe we should find a place to stay?"

"The first motel we come across, we'll take," April replied. "We don't sleep much, so we'll be underway to Seattle early."

They came across a motel half an hour later, and checked in without mentionable difficulties. After only four hours and fifteen minutes of sleep, April and Ariana took a cold shower, and dressed in the same clothing they had worn yesterday. The night clothing they had bought disappeared back into the JC Penney bags. Not feeling too cheery after a haunting night, both girls walked to the car.

"Morning, Carol," April greeted the white car.

"Sleep well?" Ariana asked, opening the door on the driver's side.

"Good morning, girls," Carol greeted them cheerfully. "I don't sleep, so I have been scanning the vicinity for anything resembling Zodiac. I think you'll be happy to know that I've found nothing."

The two girls smiled, their bags deposited on the back seat. They looked at each other. "Listen, Carol… usually, we go for a jog, you know? It calms the mind," April began.

"Hey, I understand. Go ahead and go for a jog. I'll keep a tag on you," Carol said, not sounding concerned. Silently, her CPU added, _I do SO not want to be anyone trying something on you two. If your genetic memories unlock, you'll take them apart in seconds… And there's always me._ Her CPU ran a quick diagnostics program on her weapons systems. _One 500 rounds-per-minute machine gun firing fifty-caliber armor piercing depleted uranium shells. Remaining supply: five hundred rounds. _Carol chuckled. _I love that toy. _She went over her EMP guns, and found them in working order as well.

"Thanks, Carol. We'll see you in half an hour or so," Ariana replied.

"Hey, I'm not your mother. It's my place to give advice, not fuss over you. If you want to go for a jog, go for a jog," Carol replied with a smile. "I'll see you later, girls. Enjoy the jog."

"Thanks, Carol," April said, clicking open her door.

"Yeah, Thanks a lot," Ariana said as well, getting out of the car. The two girls jogged off, Carol's sensors keeping a lookout through the eyes and ears of her two companions.

After they had been jogging for fifteen minutes, April and Ariana decided it would be best to turn back now. Their night-vision had come on completely, and it had colored the world millions of shades of gray. It resembled the infrared images seen on some TV-shows, only brighter and more diverse, giving the girls a look on the world devoid of color, a look resembling a black-and-white picture.

They had been jogging in that peculiar way of theirs, totally devoid of sound, next to a forest. They were five minutes under way back to Carol when a dark shadow suddenly lunged from the forest. Or, it would have been a dark shadow if the girls had been normal. In their black-and-white view, they could see the man like any normal person could see him. The man had a small beard, a mustache, and his eyes stood leering. He was holding a survival knife, something the girls had once seen John Rambo carry. He took out a flashlight from somewhere, and flashed it in their eyes.

"Lookie here," the man grunted, his eyes going over the two girls. "What are you two pretties doing here?"

April and Ariana squinted their eyes against the bright beam of the flashlight, before their eyes adjusted to the light. They looked directly into the flashlight. Another advantage of the canine vision was the anti-flash protection… shining a light into a canine's eyes didn't reduce the surroundings to black, like a human's vision would be affected.

April and Ariana were the same way. "We're just jogging," Ariana replied, calmly.

The man chuckled. "And now you're going to show me a good time," he added, looking at his prize once again. "And if you're good, and show me a really good time, maybe I'll let you go."

April took a breath. Somehow, this man didn't seem half as dangerous as the men at Zodiac had seemed. _Have I changed that much?_ April wondered for a few milliseconds, before turning back to the man. "Please, sir. You don't want to do that."

The man chuckled. "And why not, honey?" he asked, licking his lips. "Is John not good enough for you?"

"I can't tell you," April replied, dejectedly. "But you don't want to touch us."

The man grinned, keeping the flashlight aiming at the two girls' eyes. He was certain they couldn't see him. He lunged, intending to cut the one with the sassy mouth, thus shocking her companion into silence and cooperation. He didn't get halfway when something seemed to explode, the world turned a bright red of sheer agony, and he rolled up into a fetal position, moaning in pain.

The moment the man had shown himself, Carol had ignited her engine. Being electric, it had one huge advantage: it was totally silent. At high speeds, the airflow can be heard, but at low speeds, she was as quiet as the night. Her route-planner came up with the roads to take, and Carol flew off, not bothering to turn on hr lights. She guided herself by infrared and ultraviolet.

It took her two minutes to pull up behind the girls, making sure to keep her speed down so she couldn't be heard. She was sure April and Ariana had heard her… her electric engine whined in the ultrasonic spectrum, a spectrum both girls' ears should be more than capable of receiving.

_Machine gun – single shot._ Her windshield-HUD displayed. She targeted his head. A single shot would take it off. Carol grinned evilly as she took aim. Then, a message played back inside her CPU. April's voice, ordering her to _you won't kill someone. EVER!!!!_

The machine gun deactivated, and Carol deployed her EMP guns. _Single shot, incapacitation charge._ She aimed for his heart. _That'll take him out._ Carol had been monitoring the situation, and she thought things over. April seemed to have him talking. _He thinks with his dick. How about I show him that's a bad idea?_ Carol asked her self. She chuckled, and her targeting system aimed for a completely different location. When she saw him lunge, she never hesitated. She pressed the firing trigger, and a white orb of electromagnetic energy left her gun.

The man went down, and crawled into a fetal position, whimpering like a little girl. Carol chuckled to herself. _Mission accomplished. _

"CAROL!" April shouted at the white car.

"You told me not to kill anyone," Carol replied. "He'll live." A slight halt later, she added, "He'll just wish he didn't."

"You _shot _him! In the…unmentionables!" Ariana grunted, looking at the girlishly whimpering man.

"Is there any permanent damage?" April asked, looking concerned at the pile of man on the ground.

"Not really… He might not be able to get it up for a few days, and there might be some slight burn marks, but nothing permanent," Carol chuckled. She clicked open the doors. "Come on, we have to get going."

"Could you… put him out of his misery?" April asked. Ariana looked strangely at her. April as sure Carol was doing the same thing. "What?" she asked.

"You want me to put him don like a dog?" Carol asked.

"No, I want you to stun him!" April protested. She looked back at the whimpering ball of misery. "Give him a headache as well."

"I like you, girl!" Carol replied cheerfully, slightly charging her EMP gun, and taking careful aim. The man whimpered louder for a few seconds, before passing out. The two girls jumped in the car.

"Hey, it was out of mercy," April grunted. "He was in pain. We couldn't just leave him like that."

Ariana shrugged. "The man was an ass. He deserved it."

"Oh, and Carol?" April asked, turning to the car's center screen. "Next time, just stun someone. Don't get creative… unless we ask you, okay?"

Carol chuckled. " 'Get creative'. That's a whole better way of putting things. They used to call my sense of humor 'psychopathic'. Okay, I won't get creative unless you want me to. So, can I get creative on Zodiac forces?"

"Not unless we ask you to," April replied. Ariana raised an eyebrow, and looked at her friend with a curious expression. April shrugged. "You never know when you need to extract some information…"

Ariana and Carol burst out laughing. April's adrenalin-induced emotional blockade give out, and she file bile rise in her throat. She swallowed it down.

"Hey, are you okay?" Carol asked, suddenly concerned.

"Violence," April whispered, swallowing again. "I hate violence."

Ariana let out her breath. "You've got it bad, April. I mean, we just tranquilized him… there wasn't even any blood, and no real violence."

April let out a small chuckle, and righted herself. She still looked pale, but color was starting to return slowly. "Probably why I didn't react as violently as last time," she replied. Opening her window, April took deep breaths of fresh outside air. Her color returned fully. "Looks like it was just a minor attack this time."

Ariana nodded. "A couple hours to Seattle," she said, indicating a passing by sign. April nodded, opened the glove compartment, and took out a book.

"What are you doing now?" Ariana asked, eyeing her friend strangely.

"Learning to drive," April replied casually. "First, I think it's starting to be time for me to learn to drive Carol. Second, I need something to take my mind off recent things. And third, I want my turn to drive after I'm done here," April added the last reason with a chuckle.

Ariana shook her head in amusement. It was Carol who replied. "No problem here. After you're done there, I'll show you the traffic code."

"Traffic code?" Ariana asked.

Carol didn't even sound surprised. "Let me guess. You learned to drive a car, but haven't learned the traffic code yet."

"Eh… something like that," Ariana said, nodding slowly, while keeping her eyes on the road. "I mean, it's not like driving is hard. Most rules are either well-known, or point themselves out."

Carol shook her electronic head. "Whatever you say. Just a small piece of advice. I'm bulletproof, not invulnerable. If you hit something, I will be damaged."

"Then I'd better not hit anything," Ariana replied with a dry chuckle, electing a similar response form her friend on the passenger seat.

Carol sighed, yet smiled. "Where is Knight Rider when you need it?" she asked sarcastically. "I could use some invulnerability paint…"

"I think it was called a molecular bonded shell," April muttered, flipping yet another page in the book, her eyes flashing over the contents as a considerable pace.

"And it took a day or so to dry before it became invulnerable," Ariana added in.

"Oh, and it wasn't really invulnerable. If you had a second object with the MBS, the two items were damaged, instead of both items not being damaged at all if total invulnerability were the case," April took over, not looking up from the book.

"And I think there was this one time the bad guy found a solution to break down the shell…" Ariana started once more, when Carol interrupted her.

"Enough already! I get the point! What were you two doing at the Institute? Specializing in contemporary television shows and movies?" she asked with a chuckle.

"No, just during weekends and holidays," April replied, the book now nearing its end at a fast pace.

"And we preferred Japanese anime and comics, but every now and then we enjoyed a normal TV show," Ariana finished. A thoughtful look passed over her face. "We're never going to see the Institute again, are we? And the sisters…"

April looked up from the book. "We're leaving the United States, leaving behind everything we ever known… probably never to return. I didn't realize until now just what we're doing."

Ariana sighed deeply. "I didn't realize it either, until we talked about the Institute in the past tense, not even realizing we were doing it."

April closed the book, and put it in the small compartment in her door. "I'm going to miss everyone," she said, voice thick.

"So am I," Ariana whispered quietly, her voice sounding just as thick as April's was. "Zodiac destroyed our lives, even if they didn't manage to kill us."

April nodded. Tears flowed down her cheeks. "Carol, I want you to do something," she said through her sobs.

"Whatever you want, April," Carol replied. "I'm sorry if I brought all this up. I didn't mean to…"

"It's not your fault," Ariana told the AI. "It was bound to happen."

"Anyway, This is what I would like you to do," April continued, blowing her nose. "I want you to break into any database you can think of, and compile all the information you can find on Zodiac."

"That will take weeks, maybe even months," Carol replied.

"I don't care," April whispered. "I want the information."

"And blackmail them?" Ariana asked.

"And maybe get public opinion on our sides, and have Zodiac shut down," April replied.

"It might work," Ariana said pensively. Carol shrugged, and got to work.

"I'll compile the database. But, as I said, don't expect quick results."

"We won't," April assured Carol, after exchanging a look with Ariana.

The two girls pulled up to the cargo airport of Seattle with a full hour to spare. After clearing the necessary papers, Carol was secured on board the transport plane, and the two girls were shown how to get to it. They would make the journey inside the car.

April and Ariana then made their way to the drop-off point, where Carol's contact would give them their Japanese passports. They had no problems with the man, since they knew better than to ask questions. They paid him, he gave them their passports, and they said goodbye. The whole meeting took less than five minutes.

Feeling a little hungry, the two teens got something from the cafeteria, and slowly started going back to the plane. They were planning on getting into Carol, and spending the rest of the time in her company.

Something seemed off when April and Ariana walked up to the berth were the plane was standing. Hen they had dropped off Carol, there had been a flurry of activity. Now only the cargo door on the side was open, the cranes were busy somewhere else, and there didn't seem to be any people in the vicinity.

One of the crew they had met before walked up, and the two girls felt relieved. They ran up to him. "Excuse me, sir, but where is everybody?" April asked in her best 'sweet girl'.

"We're done loading," the man replied. "Captain's registering the flight plan. We should be out of here in thirty minutes. Better get on board," the man said, not unkindly, before climbing the ladder, and disappearing inside. April and Ariana looked at each other, then slowly around the airport.

"The last look of American soil," April said.

"Goodbye to those who ruined our lives," Ariana grunted coolly. "We'll always have each other, and that's more than enough for me."

April nodded emotionally. Fresh teas welled up in her eyes. "But it's still home," she whispered.

Ariana sniffed. "I know," she replied quietly, dropping her arm around April's shoulder, and pulling her closer. "I know…"

"You don't have to pretend to be so tough," April whispered, looking at her friend's face, and discovering two tears sliding down her cheeks.

Ariana chuckled. "No, but I like to… I think it's a survival reflex."

"Well, isn't this cute?" a female voice drawled, from behind them.

Aril and Ariana turned around to look at the woman. She was dressed in black. "Well, we're leaving, possibly for ever," April replied. "So don't blame us for getting emotional."

The woman grinned. "That's where you're wrong, honey. Because… well, you see, we can't let you go," she said, drawing a gun. At the same time, five men ran out the hangar, and surrounded the two girls.

April pressed herself closer to Ariana. She started to tremble. There was something about Zodiac operatives that scared the living daylights out of her. April could feel Ariana tense up as well. 

"Please… let us go," April whispered. "We won't hurt anyone…and we won't tell. Just let us be," she begged.

"You stole something from us, honey," the woman continued. "We want it back. Now, tell us where the CAROL unit is, and we'll make it a clean and painless death. Don't tell us… and we'll make it last for weeks."

April closed her eyes. She could feel calmness enter her mind, and she detached herself from Ariana, who was steeling herself in a similar manner. April knew that it was merely an illusion. She hated violence. She was beginning to feel sick, just from _thinking_ about what was going to happen.

"I hate violence," April told them. "Please, let us be…"

"Can't do that, honey," the woman said. She turned to Ariana, thinking April's begs would make her give in more readily. "Now, where's Carol? Or should I put a bullet through your friend's kneecap? You know, she'll never be able to walk straight again."

Something snapped inside Ariana. _No-one_ threatened April with permanent physical harm. No-one. Ariana's mouth twisted into a fierce snarl. She balled her fists.

"I wouldn't do that," the woman cautioned Ariana. "I'm still pointing my gun at your teary friend. And so are the rest of my men."

Ariana closed her eyes, and forced herself to think. _I need to get their weapons away from them. All at once. Then I can take them out._ Before her closed eyes, the mental temple appeared, with herself as High Sorceress in the exact center of the circular construction. In front of her, a massive sensor-screen displayed a 360° view of the entire scene. How it was possible was beyond Ariana, but she could survey all around her without moving a single muscle. She could see the five men, the woman, and April. She could see all six guns. All side arms. Everything seemed to be moving really slow, and Ariana knew that she was now operating at the full speed of thought, not the normal speed of the every-day world. 

_I need psychokinetics. But more precise than I've ever used before. Faster, more precise. _A second screen popped up. It was labeled 'Psycho-control'. Ariana stared at it. She heard a really slow voice coming in through her mental ears. She ignored it. She would decipher it after everything had come in. the psycho-control screen was drawing her attention right now.

The screen was displayed a single hand. Deciding that this was the ordinary manipulation, Ariana knew she had to take a chance. Her life, and the life of April, was at stake. She pointed at the screen, and five extra hands became visible, making six in total. She turned back to the full-surrounding sensor-screen. The six guns were already highlighted in red.

Ariana smiled. _Activate._ At the same time, she was kicked out of mind-space, and opened her own eyes in the real world. The six operatives were staring at the six guns in front of Ariana's feet.

"Let us go," Ariana stated. The two men nearest April charged her. The three men nearest Ariana charged, following the lead of their two companions. Ariana snarled. She felt her psychokinetic abilities flow around her, forming the mold once more.

Ariana jumped up a couple meters, somersaulted, and planted her two feet in the neck of the guy to reach her first. She flew up again, and landed in front of the two men storming towards April. Her hands were open, and she pushed them against the chest of the two men. A psychokinetic detonation followed, yet only April and Ariana could tell. The crunch of snapping bone filled the air, and the two men were blasted backwards, and hit the metal walls of the hangar.

Ariana jumped up once again, and landed on April's other side, directly in front of the two remaining men who had originally been racing towards her. She touched the floor only shortly. The moment she touched the floor, she flew towards the two men, her legs and feet horizontally behind her without touching the floor. Her two hands were balled into fists, and Ariana could feel her powers starting to give. She snarled loud, planted her fists in the stomachs of the two oncoming men, and made them go down.

Ariana stood straight, taking deep breaths. She turned to the woman. Sweat pearled on Ariana's face. "Leave," Ariana stated in a dead voice. Dead tired, but the woman couldn't know that. She mistook the tone for the tone of _her_ death. Nodding stupidly, the woman took a few steps backwards, turned, and ran.

Ariana's power gave. She sunk to her knees, and April was with her in seconds. Then the world blacked out for Ariana.

She came to about ten minutes later, seated behind Carol's wheel. Alone. "Carol? Where's April?"

"Thank God you're alright!" Carol said, sounding concerned. "We thought you really overdid it! And April… April's outside. She needed to…eh…you know."

Ariana winced. "The guys? How bad are they?"

"Broken bones, nothing they won't survive," Carol said in a dead tone, indicating she wouldn't have minded if they _had_ died.

"Poor April. Was she affected badly?" Ariana asked, concerned for her friend.

"About the same as after Zodiac. From what I can see, she's done, and on her way back here. Apparently, Zodiac has _some_ pull, at least, since the bodies have been cleaned up already. April can only see some blood, but no hurt men. Oh, shit…" Carol cursed.

"What?" Ariana asked, righting herself explosively.

"Blood. April's heaving again," Carol replied. "Looks like she really isn't the right type for this line of work."

"No kidding," Ariana whispered. "Neither am I."

April sat down moments later, shaking slightly, and looking pale as a ghost. "I hate blood," she whispered. Turning to Ariana, she continued, "It's good to see you awake again."

Ariana smiled slightly. "I totally overdid it. I should train, get my mental strength up. I have control, but no endurance."

April nodded weakly, and sighed as Carol turned the heat up. "Whatever they are, Zodiac's effective. The injured men are already gone."

"Yeah, Carol told me she noticed, through your eyes. Say, April, there's something I have to show you. Something I discovered during the last fight," Ariana said, turning to her friend.

April looked confused at her friend. "Really? What is it?" she asked, curious.

Ariana smiled secretively, grabbed April's hand, and pulled them both into mind-space. Carol just smiled, locked the doors, and made sure the car was comfortably warm.

'Oversight' hit the desk with his right fist. The thundering resonated through the room, making General Perkins flinch. "They are _fully_ active!" 'Oversight' shouted.

"We knew they had psychic control back when they escaped," Perkins reasoned.

"But not to _this_ extent!" 'Oversight' shouted. "Last time, it was a pure reflex! This time, Ariana fought with full control! She was in charge all the way! Look at this, General," he grunted, throwing a brown envelope to the man, who expertly caught the object. He pulled out a stack of X-ray pictures.

"Two hairline fractures in his skull and a large concussion," 'Oversight' told Perkins as explanation to the first picture. "She landed on the base of his skull, pushing his head against the floor. He was lucky she didn't kill him!" Perkins held out the next two pictures, seeming to be identical. Well, the wounds were similar, and both X-rays showed a ribcage.

"She hit those two men with her hands. One has a left imprint, and the other has a right imprint. Where her hands touched, the bones shattered." General Perkins winced as he held the pictures to the light, and saw the imprints of a fourteen-year-old hand on each cage, the bones having shattered where the hand had touched. "Again, both men were lucky the bones didn't puncture their lungs, or that the subsequent heavy landing against the wall didn't do any additional damage."

Perkins put the pictures down. He took the last two, which showed two intestinal caverns. "Those two had a ruptured stomach, spleen, and liver. Painful, but nothing that couldn't be fixed. Those wounds were sheer physical force, while the first ones were clearly psychic in nature."

Perkins put the pictures down. "She ran out of energy," he whispered. "Somehow, she discovered her full muscle strength."

'Oversight' jumped up from his desk. "She didn't _discover_ anything, Perkins! That girl knew _exactly_ what she was doing, every step of the way! She ran out of mental energy, switched to full physical force, and completed her objectives!"

"You talk of her like she were an operative," Perkins said, looking confused at his superior.

"Perkins, you're a fool!" 'Oversight' shouted. "Ariana could have been an operative! As she is now, she's unlocking her full potential, and I hate to think about what she's going to be capable of after she's begun to train!"

Perkins let out his breath. "I know, Sir. The good news is that April seems to be staying behind."

'Oversight' fell back in his chair. "You're an idiot."

"Sir?"

"Moron, ignoramus, devoid of brainpower!" 'Oversight' raged. "You're a stupid ass with the intelligence of a freshly-spawned amoeba!"

"I don't have to take this!" Perkins shouted.

"April's unlocked just like her sister, you idiot! You can see it on the tapes! She's fighting it every step of the way!"

"But those instincts are dominant…"

"And she's _fighting _them! She's going to go insane, and THEN things are going to get messy. An operative with her abilities and skills, insane, and running rampart through modern society. Do you have any idea what the damage will be?"

"The police won't stand a chance," Perkins whispered.

"The _police_? The police will get their butts handed to them! That girl eats SWAT teams for breakfast! They'd need to get a fucking Navy SEAL team to take her out, and even then, it's gonna be close! April, fully active, and _insane_, is the biggest military weapon this side of the Atom Bomb! And Ariana, sweet little Ariana, with her genetically ingrained _loyalty to her leader_ will be the icing on the fucking fruitcake!"

Perkins sunk into the visitor's chair. "We created a monster," he whispered.

"No," 'Oversight' replied, looking sternly at Perkins. "You did."

"What?" Perkins whispered, looking up angrily.

"You were in charge. You should have terminated all Zodiac projects fourteen years ago. You allowed two of them to escape. You are responsible for this mess."

Perkins turned white, and he started to shake. "Sir, I…"

"Don't worry. I won't liquidate you. Yet. Get back to work, _General_. And tell our forces in Japan to report the arrival, but to leave those two alone. We no longer have the manpower to take them down. I'll need to make a lot of phone calls about getting at least _some_ backing on this, and there's no reason to push them even harder than we already pushed them. They're on the run. We want to keep them there, not deciding that _offense_ beats _defense_."

"Of course, Sir. Thank you, Sir," Perkins whispered, getting up. He saluted, turned on his heel, and marched out of the office. The door shut.

"Dismissed," 'Oversight' said, chuckling.

April and Ariana climbed out of the plane, and walked to the exchange office to exchange her dollars for yens. After having exchanged a couple hundred dollars worth, the two girls made their way to the cafeteria for something to eat. They hadn't eaten since… time differences had screwed them up. All they knew was that they were hungry. April played translator, and both girls made quick work of the food.

Since the cargo airstrips were somewhat out of the way of the passenger terminals, the two girls had to cross a couple of deserted cargo strips to reach the one where their plane was disembarking Carol. Or so they hoped. April and Ariana tensed when they crossed a deserted location, a place where they were far from everybody. They didn't like it, and started running. Something felt wrong. On their left and right were warehouses, with a chain-link fence directly behind the right row of storage facilities. Behind the fence was the public road, with cars passing at great speeds, thus providing no help whatsoever.

They were right. A bola was thrown from one of the warehouses, and flung itself around April's legs. The girl fell forward, landed on her hand, and instinctively pushed up and over. She landed on her still-tied feet, without any noticeable damage. Her hands stung a little, but weren't even skinned.

Ariana, on the other hand, felt her psychokinetic armor arming itself. Two men raced out of the warehouse. Both threw bolas at Ariana, who simply dodged them, allowing the weighted ropes to clang harmlessly to the chain-link fence marking the barrier between the public road and the cargo strips. She didn't even deign the discarded weapons with a single look.

She raced forward, her hands open, as if ready to repeat the ribcage damage from the Seattle airport. For all they were worth, these two men appeared to be better trained than the guys from Seattle. They managed to dodge the enraged girl, and even managed to double-kick her in the back. Since she had already been moving, the kicks did little more than give her added momentum, momentum she used to launch herself into the air, push her feet of the steel wall of the warehouse the two men had come from, and go after the two pursuers, who were now very much aware of what had happened.

"She flew!" the first man said to the second, in Japanese.

"I knew we shouldn't have done this!" the second man replied. "Orders were formal! Do NOT engage the targets!"

"They're two girls! They shouldn't be a match!" the first man insisted.

"Are you done now?" Ariana asked, standing in front of them, her arms crossed, her face looking downright scary.

"Ari!" April shouted, her voice trembling. "Don't play with them!"

Ariana nodded. She dropped, swept the first man's legs from under him, jumped up, put her foot in the second man's face, knocking him out cold, and returned. She dropped down, straddling the first man, and hit him square in the face with her fist. His eyes closed, his mind out cold.

April sunk to her knees, her entire posture radiating an emotional shock the likes of which Ariana hadn't seen before. Slowly, oh so very slowly, April brought her hands up, and buried her face in them. Her shoulders shook. "Isn't there nowhere we'll be safe?" she asked, sobbing. "We've run halfway around the world, just for more violence!" she was now crying, through her tears.

Ariana knelt down next to her friend, and put her arms around her. April buried herself against her friend's chest, threw her around Ariana, and cried. Ariana just held her friend, knowing that the worst was yet to come… this was just an emotional outburst to the attack. The Sickness was yet to come.

"Come, April. We should get to Carol, before more of those guys come back," Ariana whispered, slowly getting to her feet, and gently pulling her friend up along with her. April followed Ariana to her feet docilely, still in shock. They hadn't taken five steps, or April fell to her knees again, fresh tears accompanying the terrible heaves that emptied the girl's stomach of its contents. Ariana held April as she vomited, comforting her friend with her mere presence. For the moment, it was all they had. After April more or less stabilized, Ariana gave her friend some mineral water from a bottle she had bought at the cafeteria. April took a couple of small swallows, and Ariana capped the bottle once more.

"Come on," she said gently. "We should get out of here."

April nodded weakly, and followed her friend. Actually, Ariana half-carried April, who was supporting herself on her friend's shoulders. It seemed as if April had done more fighting than Ariana had, and it appeared to have sapped all her reserves. By the time they got to the cargo lane where _their_ plane was being unloaded, April somehow managed to at least walk under her won strength, although the girl's ashen complexion still looked far from healthy.

They were in luck, as Carol had already been unloaded, and the two girls climbed inside, Ariana having to help April. As soon as she hit the seat, April curled up, and closed her eyes. Looking concerned at her passenger, Carol looked April's door as soon as it had shut, and raised the inside temperature to comfortable for a sleeping person.

Ariana got in behind the wheel.

"How bad was it?" Carol whispered.

"Two guys," Ariana replied. "It was worse this time."

"Because you just left everything behind, for nothing," Carol replied. She turned back to look at April. "Poor thing, she looks dead to the world."

Ariana sighed concernedly. "She had a breakdown, Cary. First an emotional one due to the stress, then a physical one due to the fight. I had to support her for some of the way back. She could hardly walk."

Carol sadly shook her head. "We need to help her. Fast. She needs to come to terms with all of this… she never had a chance to adjust. Which, by thee way, you seem to have done wonderfully."

Ariana snorted. "Yeah, right. I'm fighting for my life, and for hers. When I think of things, I get sick. Not as sick as April, but still sick. So, I don't think. I'm on the run. I can't afford to think."

Carol let out her simulated breath. _She's the total opposite of April. April can't stop thinking. Ari refuses to think at all. I've got a couple of nutcases on my hand if things don't improve. I just wish I could help… but I was designed to kill, maim, break, and steal. I'm not a psychiatrist; I don't know what to do… I have zero life experience! _

"So, where are we going?" Carol asked.

"Mountains," April whispered. "Mountains…safe. Hard…to find…there. Central…mountains."

"You heard her," Ariana replied. "Mountains it is."

Carol nodded. "Okay. Here we are. A way deep into the mountains."

"But first, let's stop at a store. We need some supplies," Ariana decided.

"Do you speak Japanese?" Carol asked, curiously.

"I can understand some of it, but I don't think I can speak it," Ariana replied. "We used to watch a lot of Japanese cartoons, but that kind of language isn't appropriate for use in real life."

"I…will speak," April whispered. "Just… five more…minutes. Sleep." With those words, April's head sunk sideways, her body finally given into the urge to sleep.

"Let's give her thirty minutes," Carol whispered, pulling over in an empty parking space. "Maybe you should get some sleep, too. I'll wake you."

Ariana shook her head. "Not tired. Now, let's be quiet."

Carol just nodded her agreement.

Thirty minutes later, Ariana gently waked April, who dazedly opened her eyes. She looked at little better, and some of tehe strength had returned to her voice and her body. She walked into the grocery store along with Ariana.

Hisho Morimoto, Master in the arts of the ninja, had finished his tour through the city. He had managed to get all of the rare herbs he needed, and at a reasonable price, too. Now he was preparing for the journey back to his home village, a trip that would take several hours by public transport. He entered a grocery store to buy some supplies.

While he was making his selection, he noticed two western girls entering the store. One of them was looking like death warmed over, while the second one looked more like a trapped cat, looking around nervously for anything that even remotely appeared dangerous. The first girl, the weak one, whispered to her companion in English, apparently translating the notes on the racks. Master Morimoto didn't understand English very well.

When he saw the first girl close her eyes, and the second one hold on to her to keep her from falling, Master Morimoto knew something was definitely wrong. The first girl seemed to be exhausted, and by the constant looks the second one was throwing around the store, there was something threatening them, something that had awakened the instinct he knew only too well: supervision. The second girl was keeping tabs on everything and everybody, constantly scanning for trouble.

Master Morimoto made a decision. He knew he was capable of helping, and they obviously needed help. Smiling slightly to appear harmless, Master Morimoto advanced silently on the two girls, the first one having turned back to the racks and food items, while the second one had by now detected him. Her eyes kept darting to him. If he had been anyone else, he would have felt uncomfortable.

"Excuse me, Miss," he said on a friendly tone to the first girl, the weak one. "Is there something wrong?"

The second girl looked from her companion to him, and back to her companion, scared, confused, and obviously over-protective. The first girl turned her tired-looking head towards him. "Just a little tired," she replied, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder. That simple gesture calmed the second girl, and made a short-circuit in Morimoto's brain. _ She knows her companion well, and that one gesture calmed her down…they are behaving like a team that's been trained for years! What happened to them? Why is one so exhausted, and the second one so alert? What could have… oh-oh. They're running from something, and they look too well behaved to be running for the law._

Morimoto, keeping thegentle smile on his face, silently bowed his head slightly, and retrieved something form his pocket. A small tablet. _Never leave home without these._ "This will help you, Miss. It will help you restore your strength."

"How can I repay you?" the girl whispered, gratefully accepting the tablet.

"Put it under your tong, and let it melt," Morimoto instructed. "I was in the position to help. It is a favor."

The girl put the tablet under her tong, detached herself from her friend, and bowed formally. "I thank you," she replied, suing the appropriate politeness forms. Morimoto was impressed… her Japanese almost had no accent at all, and she knew the proper forms of addressing someone. She must have received extensive training, or have grown up in Japanese culture herself.

Morimoto returned the bow. "It was nothing." He had to keep from staring as he righted himself. The color was returned to the girl's face, and it was doing so fast. _Either she wasn't totally exhausted, or she must be one of the strongest people I have ever met, _Morimoto thought. _And seeing how her friend had to support her earlier, I think option number two is more likely._

"Allow me to repay your generosity," the girl said, her voice sounding stronger. Her companion looked flabbergasted at the girl, to Morimoto, and back to her friend. The two exchanged some English sentences, and the first girl turned back towards him.

"I must return to my home village," Morimoto replied. "My student is expecting my return." He knew that she knew that she couldn't make an offer without knowing him better. He also knew it was his duty to allow for an opportunity for her to make an offer, so both wouldn't lose face. "I must catch the bus shortly."

The first girl's face lit up. Morimoto had guessed correctly. They _had_ come in by car. The first girl turned to her companion, chattered something, to which her companion replied with a smile in his direction, and a nod. The first girl continued, "Then allow us to drive you to your home."

Morimoto bowed. "Thank you."

The first girl returned it. "It is nothing."

"My name is Morimoto Hisho," Morimoto introduced himself. "Pleased to meet you."

The girl smiled, and bowed slightly. "Hajimemashite." _Pleased to meet you._ "My name is April." With a small motion of her hand to her friend, she continued, "My friend's name is Ariana. Unfortunately, she does not speak Japanese."

Morimoto bowed to each girl, saying 'pleased to meet you' to both of them, even though Ariana couldn't understand him. He did give her credit for returning his bow. She seemed to have at least _guessed_ at the conversation, and Morimoto valued someone who could deduct.

Five minutes later, Ariana had packed her groceries and Morimoto's groceries in the trunk. Ariana had taken the back seat, leaving the more spacious front passenger seat for Morimoto, and letting April drive for a change. Carol had hidden herself, her TV screen displaying a navigation system.

It was a pleasant surprise for the two girls to find out that Morimoto lived high up in the mountains, in a small village. His house was the last one on the main street, where the road had long since gone to a small gravel path, which had about the width of a car and a half.

April pulled Carol up to the house, and Morimoto invited them for dinner, since the sun was already setting, and it was nearing the hour for dinner. April threw a look at Ariana, and the two girls exchanged some English, after which April gratefully accepted the invitation.

As soon as they exited the car, April started bringing Ariana up to speed on Japanese customs, so that by the time dinner came around, Ariana at least wouldn't offend their host.

"This is my student, Yahiko," Morimoto introduced a fifteen-year-old boy with raven-black hair and a friendly face. He bowed to them, a bow both girls returned. Morimoto identified them to his student, and told him to make sure that the girls were comfortable. Both girls were pleased to note that Yahiko spoke English, to some extent. Pleased to have someone making sure that she didn't get any of the details wrong, April continued her lecture.

Dinner was pleasant, both girls having no problems with the exotic tastes found in Japanese cuisine. They were eager to try, and found it all enjoyable.

Morimoto had a hard time concealing his enjoyment. April and Ariana were balls of energy, and he found almost no traces of what had plagues them earlier. April seemed to have fully recovered from her exhaustion, and Ariana seemed to have relaxed the state of readiness she had been in. Morimoto could still see the glances the two shared at times, and he could read the sadness in their eyes. Something was definitely wrong with these two girls, and Morimoto couldn't think of what.

They were friendly, enjoyable company, and really seemed to appreciate him helping them out earlier. _They're sweet. What could have happened? Who could do something to two sweet girls like them? I don't think anything natural could cause them to be on the run, so someone must be after them. Who? Who could harm two sweet girls like that?_

Morimoto hid his thoughts as he took part in a conversation with April, who seemed to be interested in places where one could get away, even though she didn't put it like that. She asked about mountains, little villagers, and places with little other people. She claimed she and her friend wanted to 'see the not-tourist version of Japan'. Morimoto could read between the lines. Something in her voice told him that she was sad about something, a type of sad he had never thought he'd hear from a fourteen-year-old girl.

Next to him, Yahiko and Ariana were having a conversation in English, Yahiko doing his best to keep his accent down, and Ariana doing her best not to speak too fast, or use too many exotic words. They were talking about hiking, camping, fishing, and the local wildlife. He had no problems with telling her about any venomous animals they might have in Japan, nor had he any problems with talking about fish or wildlife that was fit for human consumption.

After dinner, April told Morimoto she had enjoyed the meal, and his hospitality, but that they really had to go now… they ahd to find a hotel to stay. Morimoto could hear the undertone, and if he could guess it correctly, April had no intentions of finding a hotel. It was that undertone of fear and sadness again, and it triggered something in Morimoto. He wanted to know them better, to see if he might be able to help in some way.

"In that case, allow me to offer you shelter," Morimoto offered. April and Yahiko startled, and Morimoto suppressed the smile he had felt. April had most definitely been educated well. She knew that most Japanese people didn't generally invite people into their homes, unless they were really good friends or relatives. But Morimoto wasn't any ordinary man. He wanted to help these two girls, find out what was wrong, and maybe help them in whatever way he could.

April overcame her shock, and Morimoto was dismayed to see a flare of protective anger come over Ariana, as if she were ready to pounce whoever said or moved in a way that didn't stroke with her thoughts. And the way she was looking, nothing stroked with it. April smiled, and gently shook her head in Ariana's direction. The girl calmed down immediately, clearly feeling embarrassed over what she had done.

April, meanwhile, bowed in Morimoto's direction. "Thank you for your hospitality, Morimoto-san," she said, and noticed Ariana still sitting up. _He invited us to stay. Japanese normally don't invite people into their homes,_ she whispered under her breath. _Bow,_ April instructed. Ariana's enhanced hearing picked it up, the girl startled for a moment, smiled in Morimoto's direction, and bowed.

"I will show you around, while Yahiko takes care of the dishes," Morimoto said, getting up. April, Ariana, and Yahiko did the same. Yahiko turned to his sensei.

"Sensei, may I have one moment of your time, please?" he asked respectfully. Morimoto looked form his student to the two girls.

"Excuse me for a moment," Morimoto apologized. The two left the room. Of course, April and Ariana could listen in, if they wanted to. Respecting the privacy of their hosts, they didn't. Ariana wouldn't have understood the conversation anyway.

"What is it, Yahiko?" Morimoto asked.

"Sensei, is it wise to invite two strangers into our home?"

"Those two girls need my help, Yahiko. Just like you needed help."

"Help, Sensei?" Yahiko asked, stunned.

"I do not expect you to read emotions like I do, Yahiko. But I do expect some common sense. April was pressing me for information on where to hide, even though she didn't word it as such. Her tone of voice held an undertone of fear and sadness. They have left something, or someone, or possibly both, and are running from someone."

Yahiko bowed his head. "Ariana has been asking about camping sites, poisonous plants and animals, and which plants and animals are edible," he whispered. "I didn't know, so I gave the information."

Morimoto nodded. "I gave April the information she requested as well. I offered them shelter because it is my opinion they were not planning on finding a hotel. They were going to run. I intend to find out what is wrong, and help them."

"But… what if they are running from the law?" Yahiko asked. "We could be harboring criminals…"

"You lack understanding, Yahiko. Do they look like the types to be criminals?" Morimoto asked, suddenly sounding angry.

"No, Sensei."

"And do you think I would invite them into my home if there had been any doubt about them?"

"No, Sensei. I apologize," Yahiko replied, subdued.

"Now, allow me to return. You have dishonored us long enough by keeping me from taking care of our guests."

"Yes, Sensei. I apologize. It will not happen again."

"It is good to question. It is not good to do so until the time is right," Morimoto replied, before walking back into the room, and showing the girls around his home.

April opened her eyes, and was immediately fully awake. She sat up, and stretched. Ariana was not in sight, and April closed her eyes to tune up her hearing. Smiling, her eyes opened once again, and April walked to the backyard. Morimoto's house had been built on top of a small hill, leaning into a mountain. As such, the back yard ended on a small cliff. Not very deep, but deep enough to really hurt the unfortunate person to fall off it.

Ariana was sitting on the edge, her legs dangling over the edge of the cliff. April sat down next to her friend, her night vision allowing her to enjoy the spectacular view. One thing neither of them had was fear of heights, which they both thought of as a good thing at the moment.

"Morning," Ariana said.

"Morning," April replied.

"Do you feel better? I mean, you seemed okay last night, but you fell straight sleep, which did worry me," Ariana asked.

April nodded quietly. "Some. It's just so depressing… we left everything…all for nothing."

Ariana sighed deeply, and nodded in quiet agreement. "I know what you mean," she said. "I refuse to allow myself to think about it… every time I do, I feel sick to my stomach. Not as bad as you, but still sick."

April closed her eyes, and gently put her hand on her friend's shoulder. She pulled Ariana into mind-space along with her, and soon both were looking at the cliff on a sensor-screen.

"I wanted to teach you Japanese," April said. "We'll need it if we're going to run. We'll need to fit in, so our language shouldn't be a source of concern."

Ariana nodded. "Good idea. Teach away."

April smiled slightly. "Let's hope this works. Usually, we study together. We've never actually tried copying knowledge form one brain to the other."

Ariana frowned, and looked at Mind-April. "Sure we did. When we're writing a report together. You write one part, I write a second, and then we merge it. That's copying."

"Five or ten pages is nothing compared to an entire library on Japanese customs, traditions, and language," April whispered in reply. She spread her hand to one side.

The black walls appeared in between the support columns of the mental temple. Four screens appeared. "Grammar," April told her friend, who found it quite easy to make the screen scroll. Her mind absorbed the knowledge.

By instinct, April felt when it was time to start downloading verbs and vocabulary. Two extra screens opened, downloading vocabulary and verbs into Ariana's brain. The grammar rules ended, and the four primary screens took over some of the data stream.

Ariana's High Sorceress was sitting cross-legged in mid-air, staring blankly at the screens. Six screens were pounding knowledge upon knowledge upon knowledge into Ariana's mind. She accepted it all, and craved more. April, feeling her friend's need somehow, started smiling. Sweat drops appeared on, April's Amazon Priestess-face as she opened a seventh screen. Data was now flashing by at tremendous speeds, in seven streams at a time.

Ariana was sweating, too. Her face saw as white as chalk, but the gleam in her blank eyes stayed. The data streams ended, and Ariana shook her head to clear the cobwebs.

"Done," she said. "Intense."

April took a couple deep breaths. "No argument from me. I've never felt speed like this from my mind before.

"Me neither," Ariana agreed. "How long did it take us?"

April opened the biological clock of her mind, accurate to within one thousandth of a second. "Two minutes."

"Damn," Ariana grunted. "Two minutes."

The Amazon Priestess and the High Sorceress looked at one another for a few seconds, as if both are waiting for thee other to say or do something.

"We should practice psycho-control," Ariana finally whispered, looking away, towards a screen she had just pulled up. It was labeled 'psycho-control'.

April closed her eyes, and nodded dejectedly. Ariana moved closer, and hugged the avatar-form of her friend. "I know you don't like it, April. But it's necessary… We need to be able to protect ourselves against Zodiac." Ariana felt April shudder at the name 'Zodiac'. She hugged tighter. "I won't let anything happen to you, I promise."

April sighed. "I know… I am being irrational… But I just can't help it… I _hate _hurting people. The thought of it… it just makes me sick to my stomach."

Ariana kept hugging her friend. "You still need to learn to use your psychokinetic powers. See it as personal development, a way to better know yourself. Get to know who you are, what you are, and what you are capable of."

April nodded, and released the hug. "You're right," she whispered. "You're right…"

"Come on," Ariana said, smiling encouragingly at her friend. April found herself returning a shy smile, and she turned to the psycho-control screen. She stretched her hand out, and a second window popped up, right next to Ariana's. Six hands appeared in it.

Closing her mental eyes, a full-screen popped up, enabling April to see 360° around her. Various stones were shown in red. Ariana clapped her hands in glee as the stones lifted into the air. April smirked slightly. She put the stones down. Her head cocked to one side, though, and her face got a curious look on it. A look Ariana never thought she'd see again, and it warmed her to her very core. April was enthused by something, and it filled Ariana's heart with hope… hope that her friend was not beyond help.

"Do me a favor, Ari," April whispered.

"Anything," Ariana replied immediately, recognizing the same tone April had used countless times, back at the Institute. It told Ariana that April was on the verge of some discovery, and wanted Ariana's help in double-checking.

"Reach out to that stone with your mental powers. Don't lift it. Just try to _feel_ the stone with your mind," April replied, still looking engrossed at the stone, medium-sized, but appearing tiny because of the distance it was away. Ariana nodded, told her psycho-control screen to use a single 'hand', and reached out to the stone. She tried to do as April had asked her to, and try to feel the surface of the stone.

Her grip a lot softer than usual, Ariana finally felt the sensations her psychokinetic abilities were feeding her brain. Just like with a normal hand, when gripping something tightly, you fail to feel the texture of the item. Letting a psychokinetic tendril gently rub across the surface, Ariana could feel every tiny impression, every tine expulsion of the stone's surface. She could _feel_ what kind of material the stone was made of. It felt incredible.

Ariana gasped. April turned to her friend. "You felt it too, didn't you?"

"So…sensitive," Ariana whispered. "Almost sensual. I could _feel_ the rock… I _know_ that rock. Or, at least, it feels like I know the rock."

April chuckled, reached out, and brought the stone closer. "I knew how it would look like before I saw it," the girl said. "Just from touching it…"

Ariana nodded. "I know." After a few seconds of silence, she added, "What I don't understand is why we've never noticed it before."

Now it was April's turn to nod silently. After a few seconds of deep thought, she said, "I think it has something to do with the way we've been using our psychokinetics up until now. We told it to fetch something, and it did. We never asked it to 'feel', until you discovered psycho-control, and told it to create hands."

"So, a normal psychokinetic blast is without sensations, but a psychokinetic hand has sensations?" Ariana asked, looking at the twin psycho-control screens.

April shook her head. "A psychokinetic blast has _normal_ sensations. We could feel it picking up whatever we told it to fetch, remember? But the psychokinetic hand must have increased sensitivity…"

Ariana shrugged. "I think that sounds right… Come on, let's experiment with it!"

April chuckled. The stone, still labeled in red, sunk to the ground next to the two girls. Ariana pulled up some more rocks, ranging from pebbles to medium-sized rocks weighing about ten to fifteen kilos.

Morimoto had donned his standard uniform, and opened the sliding door leading to the back yard, so he could start his early-morning workout. The moment he had the door open, and he had thrown one look outside, he froze. April and Ariana were now facing each other, sitting cross-legged on the ground. They were holding up their hands, palms touching. Around them, stones of all possible size and shape were flying.

Morimoto blinked, stepped outside, and closed the sliding door. _That shows why they were afraid… they are carrying secret abilities._ Immediately, the rocks dropped to the floor, and the two girls shot up, looking fearfully at him.

"Impressive," Morimoto said calmly, walking towards them. The two girls took a fearful step backwards, obviously uncertain of his motives. Morimoto stopped his advance, and smiled gently. "I am curious. Who taught you how to do that?"

April's mouth opened, snapped shut, and opened once again. "You…you're not…"

"Scared?" Morimoto asked. "Angry? Should I be? Would you hurt me?" Morimoto asked, still smiling disarmingly.

Ariana relaxed, and April looked embarrassed at the ground. Morimoto immediately recognized what had happened… Ariana had understood him.

"Morimoto-san… allow us to explain…" April whispered. Ariana shot her friend an angry look. Now Morimoto _knew_ Ariana had understood the Japanese words, and it only served to fuel his curiosity.

"In that case, why don't we talk inside, over a cup of tea? It will relax us, and provide the atmosphere necessary for this kind of conversation," Morimoto offered, turning sideways, and reaching for the sliding door.

April and Ariana nodded, and followed the Ninjutsu master inside. Yahiko, obviously just awakened himself, was told to make some tea. Morimoto sat the girls down around the table, and this time April no longer had to remind her friend on how to sit at the table. Ariana sat down on her heels, as custom required.

Yahiko appeared with the tea some minutes later, minutes April and Ariana spent in quiet contemplation on how to tell their story without appearing downright insane, even with the evidence they could provide. Every second of those couple of minutes made the fear increase in the two girls. Their increased-strength hearts were beating hard and fast. Morimoto, feeling the anxiousness of his guests, allowed them the time to order their thoughts.

Finally, Yahiko appeared, and served the tea.

"I…eh…we've never told this to anyone," April whispered. "The story of our lives…"

Morimoto held up his hand. "Only tell what you feel comfortable with sharing."

Yahiko kept quiet, not wanting to have a repeat performance of the previous evening. He had no idea what was going, except for the fact that his master had somehow stumbled across the secret of the two girls. A secret, it seemed, they were reluctant in sharing.

April closed her eyes, and pulled back into her mind. A screen popped up, providing her with a time-line of what the two girls had uncovered up until now. She pulled up the Learning April program, and prayed that the program would be able to do the dirty work for her. Her prayers went unanswered, and April opened her eyes once more.

"Thirty years ago, the government of the United States funded a black research program. A program with only one goal: to create a genetically enhanced super-soldier. They started doing research into the human genome, and the possibility of inter-breeding different species of animal into this genome. It took them nearly fourteen years of experiments before the scientists were able to create an enhanced genome… and what a genome it was. It contained fifty percent more genetic material than a normal human. Entire martial arts disciplines were encoded into it as genetic knowledge, a sort of instinct. Sixteen years ago, the scientists started their gruesome experiments," April told the two.

Ariana took over. "They infiltrated a clinic specializing in artificial insemination. Four hundred women were implanted with their genetically enhanced embryos. Out of those four hundred, only four made it to full term. The couples with full-grown babies were killed. No evidence was to be left behind. Those four babies were scheduled to be trained at the facility established by the researchers. They would have been monitored, but the training was in the hands of the military wing of the Zodiac Project."

"Then, the government cancelled funding. The Cold War was over. There was no need for genetically enhanced killing machines," April told, her voice full of loathing. "They wanted to kill the babies, before blowing up the facility itself. They managed to kill two of the babies… the other two were rescued by a doctor. That man paid with his life, but not before he managed to find a place for the two girls to grow up, safe from Zodiac."

"For the first seven years of their life, they lived at a convent, before being allowed to attend the Institute of Advanced Learning, in Texas. The girls' genetically enhanced minds went into overdrive in this place, a place where the best and brightest got every chance and every possibility they wanted. But, this wasn't all. They also found that they could do things. Different things. They could talk to each other mentally when they touched, they could move object with their minds, and they could even pull back from the world altogether, entering a place they called 'mind-space', where they had full control over their minds, and its processes," Ariana said.

"For seven years, they were happy. Then, one of them took a genetics course. For fun, she decided to test herself. She found the genetic abomination that is her genome. Thinking herself faulty, she tested her friend, and got a similar result. Not REALLY thinking herself stupid, she tested a third person, and got a clear result… meaning her methods weren't defective. The girls new not what to do, so they sent out the genomes over the Internet, asking for someone to help them with information," April said.

"They got a reply. It was short, and contained some information about Zodiac, its methods, and what it was supposed to have been about. One of the girls, who could directly interface her mind with a computer, told the computer to start looking for phone numbers of military mainframes. After a teen-hour search, the computer had found a secret phone number, and the girls hacked into it. They retrieved most of the reports from Zodiac. Unfortunately, Zodiac was better than two girls who barely knew what they were doing. Zodiac found them out, and kidnapped them," Ariana told.

"They would have been killed, if their abilities didn't surface. At the exact time one of them would have been raped, their genetically encoded martial arts abilities unlocked. After making short work of the three guards, the two girls ran. In the garage, where they were planning on obtaining a car, they found… Carol. Carol was an experimental car, containing a unique Artificial Intelligence system. The car would have been scrapped, since normal humans had trouble working with the AI, which had been originally designed to work with genetically enhanced soldiers," April said.

"The two girls ran for their lives," Ariana concluded. "They first managed to get a loan form an old friend from the Institute, and then they rented a space on a cargo plane. They ran to Japan, where two more agents of Zodiac were waiting for them… So here we are."

Yahiko stared at them in open shock, obviously not believing a word. Morimoto sadly shook his head. "What a cruel world, that two fourteen-year-old girls should have to run for their lives," he whispered. Looking up, he said, "I would like to help."

"Thank you, Morimoto-san," April replied. "But we really can not abuse your hospitality, nor endanger your lives."

"My name is Morimoto Hisho, Master in the ways of Ninjutsu. I can help you understand who and what you are, if you will allow me to do so," Morimoto said. "It would be my honor, and my privilege, to help you."

"Sensei!" Yahiko protested. "This story is…unbelievable. Why do you trust them?" Yahiko held himself back before saying something that would get him in trouble.

"Because of what I've seen," Morimoto replied calmly.

"Allow me, Morimoto-sensei," April replied, keeping in mind that this man would now be their teacher. Ariana had also heard the word play. She had no problems with it… the surroundings were beautiful, and Morimoto seemed like a good and reasonable man. That did not mean that Ariana would not keep an eye out for trouble. She may like the man, but trust had to be earned. She had trusted him by telling their story. The rest had yet to be earned. April looked at her teacup. The small porcelain cup lifted into the air, to April's lips, and tilted slightly. After drinking, April put the cup back down.

Yahiko stared open-mouthed at the cup. "How…what…" He shook his head. "I am sorry for doubting your judgment, Sensei." He bowed to April and Ariana. "I apologize for doubting your word."

April and Ariana returned the bow. "It is understandable," April replied. "No offense taken."

After dinner, April and Ariana were sitting in front of the small shrine, located at Morimoto's dojo. Most of the day, Morimoto had shown them around the house, and the surrounding grounds, a time he had also used quite well in making the girls understand what the training would entail. April and Ariana introduced Morimoto and Yahiko to Carol, who was glad to finally be able to talk again. Morimoto, April, and Ariana had decided to start the formal training tomorrow, giving April and Ariana a chance to digest everything that had happened in the last few days.

April sighed. "Lucky us," she whispered. "We've found someone to help us…"

Ariana nodded. "Let's hope it's a fruitful partnership," she replied. "I like him, and I like the surroundings. I think we can be happy here."

Now it was April's turn to nod in agreement. "Ari?" she asked in a quiet, fearful, voice. The tiny voice so laced with sadness that Ariana could not help but shudder as she looked at her friend. "Do you… do you think we're monsters?"

Ariana threw her arms around her friend. "No, of course not, April!" she shouted, hugging her friend close.

April shuddered. "What about Zodiac? We've hurt so many people… I…I _know_ I can do the same things you can… I _felt_ it when that one man threw his bola around my legs, and I moved out of my fall. I could have hurt hi, Ari! I felt my body burning, _begging_ to let go… Ari, I'm scared!"

"There's nothing to be scared _of_, April," Ariana whispered, gently rocking her friend. "Morimoto-sensei will teach us how to control our minds and bodies. He told us he would. We have to trust him… as master, he knows what he's talking about."

April clenched to her friend. "But what if he can't? He's human. We're not. Who says that we are even _able_ to be controlled!? What if we're loose cannons, ready to shoot at anything?" April asked, her voice begging, reaching for what meager scraps of support Ariana could provide.

"Whatever Zodiac is, they're not stupid. We were supposed to be controlled, the ones sent behind enemy lines. We can't afford to be loose cannons, or we'd blow our cover without good reason."

April nodded, relaxing marginally. "Yes…yes, that would make sense," April whispered. For a couple of seconds, the two girls sat there in silence, hugging each other. Then, April looked up at Ariana. "I'm still scared, Ari… we're genetic monsters. I…I wouldn't want to hurt someone accidentally. I know I'm capable of it, and I don't want it to happen!"

Ariana hugged her friend tighter. "That's why we're here. Morimoto-sensei will teach us how to use our abilities when it counts, and how to keep control over them at all times, so we don't hurt people accidentally."

"Do…do you really think it's possible? Control over our abilities?" April whispered, her voice sounding so small it almost resembled a small child's voice. It sent pangs of pain through Ariana's heart. She too, had her doubts. But, for April's sake, she couldn't let them show. She had to be strong, support her friend's frail mind, help her recover. Maybe then…maybe then, she could start looking at herself. Right now, April was the most important thing. Ariana knew she had to help her friend.

"If there's one person who can, it's Morimoto," Ariana replied with conviction.

April nodded quietly, then released the hug. The two girls sat there, staring at each other, for the next couple of seconds. Then, they returned to their previous positions, facing the small shrine. The dojo's atmosphere breathed peace and tranquility, an soon both April and Ariana were deep in thought. One thing ahdn't changed, however. Their postures still oozed with negative emotions.

Morimoto walked out of his house. The sun had set, and the master walked to the edge of the small cliff at the end of the yard. Breathing in the clean mountain air, Morimoto surveyed the nocturnal nature. His thoughts dwelled on April and Ariana.

_They've really been through a lot, _he thought to himself. _In the last couple of days, they've been kidnapped, attacked multiple times, and had to leave home and country to run halfway around the world… only to be attacked here as well. So hurt, even, that they had to tell their story as if it happened to someone else. They had to distance themselves to keep from breaking down._

Morimoto turned to wards the dojo, a small building located not far from the house. _I need to help them in any way I can. I first need to help their minds before I can help their bodies… it probably won't be easy, but it has to be done. _

He had a good idea where the girls might be, and he walked to wards the dojo. Just as he had thought, they were inside, sitting in front of the small shrine, obviously deep in thought, their postures radiating the fear and pain of the last couple of days. April seemed to have it worse than Ariana, but Morimoto knew enough to know that Ariana was forcing herself to _appear_ strong, rather than let it all out.

He stood there for a few seconds, at indecision as to what to do now. Just as he was turning to leave again, he heard a shuffle. Turning back towards the girls, eh saw that both April and Ariana seemed to be done with their meditation. Quietly, he approached the two girls.

"Is everything alright?" he asked, hoping to start a conversation. If he read body language correctly, both girls needed desperately to talk to someone. Morimoto knew that he was the only person with at least _some_ hope of helping them.

"Morimoto-sensei," April whispered quietly, as if noticing him for the first time. She remained quiet for a few seconds, seconds he gladly gave her to order her thoughts. "Can you… do you really think…you can help us?" she asked in a quiet voice.

Morimoto chose not to take that as an insult. "I honestly believe I can," he replied. "It will not be easy, but I think it is possible."

"How?" Ariana asked suddenly, forgoing all Japanese customs. April winced, but somehow couldn't find the strength to stop her friend. "I mean, no offense, but we're not normal. How can you be sure we _can_ be helped?"

April nodded quietly. "We're genetic monsters, born… _bred_… to fight, hurt, and kill. We may be beyond help."

Morimoto closed his eyes, and sighed. He sat down in between the two girls, and looked at the shrine. "You look human to me," he replied.

April sighed. Ariana snorted. "We're the combination of four hundred genetic donors, and a couple dozen different animals. One third of our genes are genetic memories on how to fight, sabotage, hurt, maim, kill, and so on. We're unable to have children, because our genetic structure is further away from _homo sapiens_ then the common trout is."

Morimoto decided that tact and diplomacy wouldn't cut it. They had convinced themselves that they were monsters. It served as a shield… they were being hunted, ergo they were monsters. They were at fault for all the bad things that had happened. Only by force could he hope to get through… either it would help them, or break them entirely. Morimoto prayed his gamble would work.

"That's enough!" he said, forcefully. "If I hit you, don't you hurt? If I prick you, don't you bleed? If you're hurting, don't you cry?"

"Yes, but-" April whispered. Morimoto, contrary to his usual self, didn't allow April to finish. He had to break through, and it was now or never.

Softer, he continued, "April, Ariana, being human isn't part of your genes, or what was done to you." He put his hands on both girls' hearts. "Being human is what you feel inside, in your hearts. I've seen enough of you to know that you are two sensitive and sweet girls. I now ask of you to accept that, and accept the fact that you're human. Because, if you don't, if you truly _believe_ that you're monsters, than Zodiac will have won. You might as well give up."

Ariana was sitting there, staring unseeing at the shrine. April's mouth rhythmically opened and closed, but no sound escaped her lips. She let out a deep breath. "I don't want to give up, Morimoto-sensei," April whispered, looking up at him like a little girl would look up at hr parent. "Help us… not to give up."

Ariana's shock was ebbing away slowly. She only nodded quietly, unable to bring out a word. Morimoto congratulated himself. It had worked. More or less. He would still have to show them how to accept who they are, but that was a problem for later. For today, he had managed to show them _how_ he thought of them, and how they should see themselves.

"I…I think I'm going to bed now," April whispered, standing up. "Good night, Morimoto-sensei." She looked at Ariana, who was still looking sadly at the shrine.

"I…I'll be later," Ariana whispered. April nodded, and even managed a simple smile. She bowed to Morimoto, and slowly walked out of the dojo. Morimoto looked after her, and saw her incredibly _old_ April had seemed. He cursed Zodiac. Ariana remained, staring at the small shrine, for at least a couple of minutes. Morimoto, sensing that something deeper had been awakening in the girl, remained.

"Thank you," Ariana finally whispered. "For your words…I…I…don't know how much longer I could have kept going…"

"It was my pleasure," Morimoto replied. "I am always available if you need to talk, and I will always try to give you the best answer I can."

Ariana nodded, and looked at the floor in front of her. "I…I had to be strong," she finally whispered. "For April. She's always been the softer one, you know?" she asked, turning to Morimoto, who smiled encouragingly at the girl. Ariana returned a weak smile. She, too, seemed incredibly old. "I took courses to work with my hands. But not April. No, she always had her nose in the books. When…all of this started, I protected her. April can't stand the sight of blood, or the sight of pain… it makes her sick. I couldn't afford to feel pain, or to feel sick. I had to be the strong one, the protector."

Morimoto stared sadly at the girl. "You can feel it now," he whispered. "It's not healthy to keep it in. Let it all out, and it will make you feel better."

For a moment, Morimoto didn't think she had understood a word he had said, as Ariana just continued, "I had to keep her supported… April was on the verge of collapse. She had trouble dealing. I couldn't deal… I had to be the strong one." She looked at Morimoto with tears in her eyes. "I'm tired of being the strong one, Morimoto-sensei! I can't handle it anymore! I'm only fourteen! I should be in school…not…fighting… for my…life…" the last words came out through heart-wrenching sobs, and Ariana buried her face in her hands. Her shoulders shook as the emotional discharge, postponed for so long, finally came.

Morimoto sat there, and sadly put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "You're not on your own anymore, Ariana," Morimoto whispered. "I am here now. I will do my best to help you. You have my vow."

Ariana's mind, finally releasing days worth of pent-up emotions, only felt the gentle hand, and only heard the gentle tone. The words themselves didn't register, but the intent behind the words did. She threw herself around Morimoto, clenching at him while crying. For a moment, Morimoto's Japanese upbringing, and the subsequent aversion to physical contact, surfaced. It only lasted for a tenth of a second before he realized that Ariana needed _someone_ to hold her, comfort her, tell her that everything would be all right.

Morimoto's arms went up and around the small, sobbing frame. Holding her tightly, he continued to whisper gently to the girl, who finally released all of the mental anguish she had been storing. When the sobs subsided, Morimoto finally looked at the girl… to find her asleep.

_Poor thing was exhausted,_ Morimoto thought. _I am beginning to seriously dislike this Zodiac._ Gently picking up the girl, he carried her inside, and put her to rest next to her friend. For a few moments, Morimoto remained in the room, and looked at the two sleeping girls. Smiling gently, he closed the sliding door, and left to find his own bed. He knew that his sleep would be plagued that night. The things he had heard would present themselves in his subconscious.

Over the course of the next month, Morimoto, who had studied some Chinese arts to complement his Ninjutsu-skills, started the girls off gently, with Qigong exercises to help them find balance in their minds and bodies. Helping them as well in this early period was the Zazen-meditation routine Morimoto taught them. It was the same meditation routine used by Zen Buddhists, and it helped them calm their minds. After only a few weeks, he added some gentle Tai Chi routines to help them expand their bodies' reserves, while keeping up the Qigong exercises to purge the toxins from their bodies and their minds.

After that first month, the recovery of the two girls was well underway, and Morimoto gently started his instruction. By now, both girls had more or less started to become calmer, and they started to find peace with themselves, and what they were. It was something that had happened without their will, and it couldn't be helped. It was then that a first problem popped up.

April had been talking to Carol, and it was something the AI dropped that got April's gears working. At first, she hadn't believed the conclusions she had drawn. But, now that her mental strength was returning, April was able to acknowledge the memories of those two faithful days, and she had come to the conclusion that she had been right. She had been a selfish pig. 

Ariana walked up to her friend, as usually sitting cross-legged at the edge of the cliff, and looking out over the expanse visible from the position. Ariana sat down next to her friend. She didn't say anything, allowing April to finish her gentle morning meditation-routine. It was something April had taken to, something she had been more or less forced to take to, a qigong mental exercise to release negative energy from the mind.

A deeper breath showed Ariana that April was waking up. The eyes fluttered, and April looked at her friend. "Morning, April," Ariana greeted. She felt something was off. Instead of replying as she usually did, April looked away sadly, staring back over the nature-scene in front of her, even though the sun wasn't up yet.

"I'm so sorry, Ari," April finally said, tears starting to form. "I've been such a pig…Dear Lord, how I've been a pig."

Ariana, feeling concerned, looked at her friend in confusion. "What do you mean, April?" Ariana asked, her voice sounding confused and fearful at the same time.

"I've been so depending on you… I kept dumping my stuff on you…and I never realized how much you needed my help as well," April whispered, closing her eyes, and bending her head. Tear slid down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, Ari. I'm not worth to be your friend. I'm a selfish, egotistical, self-centered-"

Ariana grabbed her friend, and forced the crying girl to look at her. "Never _ever_ say that again, April!" she shouted. "You _are _my friend, and you always will be! I am the stronger one. It's only reasonable that I helped you!"

April sighed, closed her eyes again. "Yes, but… but I should have paid attention to you as well… It was all about me, me, me… and I didn't realize you needed help, too."

Now it was Ariana's turn to sigh. She moved closer, pulled April in for a tight hug. "That's all over, April. Sensei has helped us both…"

April hugged her friend back. "Tell me," she whispered. "I need to know… I want to be there for you. I _need_ to be there for you. To help you, like you helped me."

"You're my friend, April. My only family," Ariana assured April. "I don't need proof of your loyalty. Please, let it go… you'll always be my friend, and I'll always have a special place in my heart for you. I don't need proof," she repeated.

"But…but-" April stuttered, before Ariana cut her off.

"You really want me to bare my soul, huh?" she asked. April nodded.

"You helped me… every time we talk, it's about how _I_ feel, or what _I_ want. Now it's time we go back to the Institute, where it was what _we_ felt, and what _we_ wanted," April said, every word laced with sadness. 

Ariana closed her eyes, and nodded. "Okay. But not like this," she said, and pulled her friend into mind-space. The High Sorceress and the Amazon Priestess looked at one another. "This is more private," High Sorceress Ariana said. Amazon Priestess April nodded quietly.

"Okay, here goes," Ariana whispered, sitting down, cross-legged, in mid-air. April sat down on an almost identical height. This was to be a long conversation.

Early morning, January 12th. The sun had yet to rise and chase the inky darkness away. April was sitting in lotus position on the verge of thee small cliff. Contrary to usual, she wasn't meditating. Her face stood a little sad as she stared with her night vision out over the nature scene. 

She heard Ariana before the sliding door had even opened, and a small smile crept up on her face. Some lingering sadness wasn't chased off, however. Ariana sunk down next to April, letting her legs dangle over the edge.

"Morning, April," Ariana greeted her friend exuberantly. "Happy birthday."

April smiled wider now, and turned to her friend. "Happy birthday, Ari."

Ariana smiled, and turned to the scene in front of her. "I can't believe a year has passed already… Lord, time flows so fast."

"That's what I was thinking about… last year, we were still at the Institute. And all the stuff that's happened over the last seven months… it's been massive," April whispered, bowing her head slightly. 

Ariana nodded in contemplation. Her smile assumed its rightful place on her face once again, and she turned to April. Throwing an arm around the girl, Ariana said, "Come on! Don't let your head hang! We've got a beautiful home, a nice Sensei, and a fellow student. What more do we need?"

April smiled, and this time, the smile reached the girl's eyes. "Yeah, I guess you're right, Ari. No sense dwelling on the past. One can not spend his entire life looking back, or one will never move forward."

Ariana laughed, loudly. "You've been listening to Sensei too much, April! You're talking like him!"

April smirked, and answered, "Great minds think alike." With a routine gesture, April threw her chestnut hair over her shoulder. With a played arrogance, she added, "It takes brilliance to admire greatness. Do not be envious of those brilliant, or those great."

Ariana's mouth opened slightly. "I will get you for that," she promised. "One day, when you least expect it, I will get you for that."

April threw herself against her friend, laughing. "I'm sure you will, Ari," the girl said, laughing. She sobered somewhat, and added, "It's been so long since we've had fun like this…"

Ariana nodded. "Yeah… but it's all getting better now. At least we're able to laugh again, instead of sinking into depression every time Sensei shows us something, and we get it immediately."

April chuckled. "Poor Yahiko. It took him weeks to get that one kata down, and we got it right the second time we tried it."

Ariana laughed quietly as well. "It's a good thing that he got over it… He knows we're different, and he now actually tries to accommodate us, instead of working against us."

"I think that he's actually enjoying that," April answered. "I think he _likes_ putting us to the test."

Ariana chuckled. "And I think I don't mind being tested. It was nothing different at the Institute. We were phoenixes. We were the best of the best. We were put under stress, and we remained there for _five_ years. An absolute record."

April couldn't agree more. "Morimoto-sensei judges us higher, too. I think I like it… we're special. We shouldn't be held to the same tests as normal humans… we're faster, stronger, and brighter. No reason why we shouldn't be judged higher, too."

"Yep. Right. It's only fair. We have superior bodies. We should be held to higher standards."

"Come on," April urged her friend, jumping up from her lotus position. "Let's do some katas."

Ariana chuckled as she got up. "You really like this stuff, don't you?" she asked.

April shrugged, a little guiltily. "It's a great way for me to learn about who I am, and what I can do, without actually having to hurt someone. I hate the sparring parts."

Ariana shrugged. She herself had no trouble with sparring. She went into the stance next to April. Together, the two girls moved with the grace and fluidity of ballerinas, the scene illuminated by the gentle rays of the early sunrise. 

After about an hour and a half, the girls broke off their early morning training session.

"I wonder what's keeping Sensei," April said. 

Ariana shrugged. "Maybe he overslept. Come on, let's go check."

April grinned slightly. "Sensei doesn't oversleep. I hope nothing's wrong," she said, slightly worried. 

Ariana dropped her arm casually around April's shoulders. "Don't worry so much, Sister. You're going to give yourself an ulcer if you keep this up."

April chuckled. "That'd be the day. According to carol's research, we're not supposed to _get_ sick. Our immune systems are so perfect the only things allowed in are the bacteria needed for digestion."

Ariana chuckled as well, keeping her arm around the other girl. April looked at Ariana. "You know… it's been so long since you did that. I kinda forgot how it felt like."

Ariana stopped, dragging April with her. "Did what?" she asked in confusion.

"Call me 'sister'. It's been so long I almost forgot how it felt like," April whispered. 

Ariana laughed quietly. "I promise, from now on, I'll start doing it again. Sister."

April smiled gratefully. "Thanks. Sister."

In silence, the two girls traversed the back yard to the house. April opened the sliding door, her ears at peak sensitivity. She heard breathing, from both Yahiko and Morimoto. They were in the tatami room, the room used for meals, and as spare bedroom.

_Tatami room,_ April told her friend. Ariana nodded, and the two girls walked to the room, quiet as ghosts. Ariana opened the lsiding door to the room, and the two girls slipped inside, to find Morimoto and Yahiko drinking tea. The very sight of finding Morimoto in the tatami room, drinking tea, instead of being outside training startled the two girls into total silence.

"Good morning," Morimoto greeted them, together with Yahiko.

"Good…morning, Sensei," April whispered, slipping to her knees by the low table. Ariana did the same, after wishing them both a good morning as well.

"Happy birthday," Morimoto added, while Yahiko poured them a cup of the strong green tea. 

"Yeah, happy birthday," Yahiko added as well.

April and Ariana smiled at the words. "Thank you, both," the girls replied, bowing in Morimoto's direction before doing the same to Yahiko. 

"And a present, of course," Morimoto added, pulling two packages from next to him, where they had been hidden from view. He handed the packages to the girls.

"Thank you, Sensei," both whispered, looking at the bright-red gift-wrapped packages, unsure of what to do. 

Noticing the two girls' stares, Morimoto asked, "Is something wrong?"

It was April who first shook her head. "No, Sensei… it…it's just that…we've never received a gift before."

"What? Never?" Yahiko asked. 

Ariana smiled sadly. "We lived in a poor convent, Yahiko-kun. And then, we lived at the Institute… we never had money for such things."

Morimoto smiled slightly. "Well, then. You can consider this to be the first time of many," he assured the girls. 

"Thank you, Morimoto-sensei," both girls whispered. 

_Now what?_ Ariana asked her friend, seemingly making a random contact through pushing her shoulder against April's. 

_The wrapping is as important as the gift,_ April quoted. _Thus, unwrap the present gently, don't tear it off, and fold it neatly. Only then, look at the present. _

_Okay. Will do,_ Ariana replied, releasing the shoulder-contact. Both girls started unwrapping their presents. After a good minute or so of careful releasing of tape, they had the wrapping released, and they folding it neatly. After that, they looked at the item inside.

"A Ninjutsu do-gi," April whispered, letting her hand trail over the black fabric of the training uniform. They no longer would have to train in a second-hand do-gi! "A do-gi of our very own…" she added, reverently. She sniffed a little, and turned to Morimoto with tears in her eyes. Ariana wasn't in any better condition.

"Thank you, Morimoto-sensei. This… this means a lot to us…" they said, bowing deeply. Morimoto returned the bow.

"It was nothing," he replied. "Your trust has honored me. I should honor your birthday."

"It means a lot to us, Morimoto-sensei. Acceptance, both into your family, and as normal people," April said, gratefully.

Morimoto accepted the words with a smile and a small bow of his head. In the western world, silence is often perceived as uncomfortable. But, in Japan, silence is often comfortable, a way for people to be together. People unable to appreciate the 'wisdom of silence' would find it hard to understand, but April and Ariana, used to being together in silence, found it not at all hard to comprehend. 

Yahiko, April, and Ariana were seated in the tatami room. Morimoto had brought in a large number of crystals, and had put them out in front of his three students. 

"This is citrine," Morimoto said, handing a crystal of gentle-orange color to Yahiko. "It is used to break up energy blockages in the body, it strengthens the will, vision, and self-balance, and it helps in letting go of addictions."

Yahiko looked at the small piece of crystal for a few seconds, and handed it over to Ariana after twisting it around to see it from every angle. Ariana accepted the crystal, and closed her eyes. It floated above her hand, allowing her psychokinetic 'sensor' to scan the crystal. It started spinning as Ariana's abilities penetrated its surface, allowing the girl to know the crystalline structure of the beautiful stone.

The crystal settled, and Ariana opened her eyes. Smiling, she handed it to April, and the process more or less repeated itself. After she finished, April gently returned the crystal to Morimoto, who put it back on the table, and retrieved a piece of transparent crystal.

"This is clear quartz. The purer it is, the stronger it is. It is a powerful transmitter, it amplifies and directs thought forms, it balances healing energy, it promotes clarity, and it attunes one to ones higher self," Morimoto said, handing the crystal to Yahiko. Like most of the crystals Morimoto showed them, the crystal was shaped like a tiny obelisk, with a square footing and a tip at one end. 

Yahiko apparently liked the crystal, as he held on to it for just a tiny amount longer than the previous crystals. Finally, he handed it to Ariana. She closed her eyes once more, and prepared to repeat the scan. The crystal didn't lift. Instead, a small amount of energy shot out its tip, straight ahead, and blew a hole in the wall before disappearing.

"What the…?" Ariana screamed.

"It appears the crystal reacted to your thoughts," Morimoto replied, looking at the tiny circular hole the small bolt had burnt in his house.

"I'm so sorry, Morimoto-sensei," Ariana said, her voice shaking. "I really didn't know…"

Morimoto held up his hand. "None of us did," he replied.

April shook her head. "It amplifies and directs thought forms. If psychokinesis isn't thought, I don't know what is… we should have known," she whispered.

"That…_thing_… blew a hole in the wall," Yahiko stammered. 

Ariana nodded, clearly upset by the events. "The crystal accepted my psychokinetic touch, but instead of lifting, it amplified it, and directed it out through its tip."

"So, the crystal can't be touched through psychokinesis?" April asked, gently rubbing the crystal with her finger.

"I'm not keen on trying," Ariana replied. "I don't want to blow another hole in Morimoto-sensei's house."

"Then let's try it outside. This is something that needs to be examined," April said. "A crystal than can manipulate the energies we give out… what a discovery!"

"That is a good idea," Morimoto said. "But let us first finish the lesson on crystals. After all, there might be other crystals that react to your abilities. That way, you can experiment with all of them at once."

"Of course, Sensei," April answered, putting the clear-as-glass crystal down on the table. 

"Now, this is obsidian, and it protects sensitive people, wards off negativity, reduces tensions, is good for letting go of old love, it is good for travel, and it strengthens prophesies," Morimoto explained. 

An hour and a half later, four people were standing outside. Ariana was holding the clear quartz crystal, the tip pointing towards the forest. She closed her eyes, and appeared in the mind-space temple.

April, having put her hand on Ariana's shoulder in the real world, appeared right next to the High Sorceress in mind-space. A sensor screen opened, showing Ariana's eyes. The screen showed Ariana's right hand, holding the crystal. 

Psycho-control opened. "Gently," Ariana told herself, and a small hand appeared in the screen. "Gently…" the crystal on the sensor screen turned red, and it moved slightly. Then, as the energy necessary for lift was put on it, the crystal seemed to flash a really bright red, and a bolt of mental energy left its tip. It burned a neat, and perfectly circular hole in the first tree it encountered. 

"Not good," Ariana replied in mind-space. "Really not good."

"We need to learn to control it," April whispered. She pulled up a screen showing optical physics laws. "Maybe we're in luck, and the crystal amplifies mental energy like a lens focuses light."

In the real world, Ariana mindlessly handed the crystal to April. In mind-space, April connected her own psycho-control to the crystal. She too, told it to go gently. Her mind calculated possible refraction rates, and she told psycho-control to lock on to a couple specific points on the crystal, instead of the whole crystal.

She lifted. The crystal moved, and then started to float. Psycho-control changed from a couple of fingers to a hand, and started its scan. Her mind seemed to know instinctively how to touch the crystal, now that April had shown the way on how to handle it. The crystal started to spin slowly, and April's mind built a mental image of the clear rock. 

April let out her breath. "Damn, that's hard," she whispered. "That crystal is almost unmanageable." Gently lowering the piece of quartz in Ariana's hand, April continued, "Here. You try."

Ariana, having seen the contact points, and the physical laws behind those points, had almost no trouble lifting the crystal into the air. The problem was scanning it. After a few moments of deliberation, she thought she had found it. The tip of the crystal was pointing upwards, now, and a bolt of mental energy left it.

"Enter near one of the larger side-facets," April whispered. "That way, it gets refracted, rather than focused. It's the refraction we need."

Ariana complied, and entered her psycho-sensors through one of the larger facets that made up the sides of the crystal. It started spinning slowly, an Ariana too, began to build a mental image of the quartz-crystal. 

A week passed, and thee two girls were standing in the middle of a natural clearing, not far from Morimoto's house.

"Ready?" April asked, standing behind Ariana.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Ariana replied, standing still.

April took out the quartz crystal. Only, now it had been tied to a band of cloth, a band April was now tying around Ariana's head. "Remember," April began, "Focus _through_ the crystal, not on it."

"Yeah, yeah," Ariana interrupted her friend's explanation. "And we can only use two psychokinetic beams when the crystal's in use. One crystal-enhanced and one normal."

April nodded, and stepped back. Ariana turned around, the crystal tied securely to her forehead. April sighed. "Okay, you got it. Now, let's see how well it performs," she said.

Ariana nodded, and April stepped back, leaving the clearing to Ariana. Remaining in the middle, Ariana kept her eyes closed, and focused on mind-space. The 360-degree sensor screen popped up, and Ariana pulled up psycho-control. The screen morphed, indicating it had connected to the crystal, and was using its enhancing abilities. 

She pulled up her psychokinetic armor. The next moment, her eyes flew open. Ariana jumped up, towards the tree line. In mid-air, she flipped around, so that her feet were facing the tree. She bounced off, and started doing somersaults in mid-air. She landed, rolled forward, and jumped up straight into the air for at least a dozen meters. High, but not high enough to come out above the trees. Only April could see her. 

Ariana landed in a crouch, jumped up, and started doing her katas at speeds incredible. Her face showed a near-perfect concentration, her body moving fluidly and with obvious power… but without a hint of strain. Finally, she stopped. 

April walked up to her friend. "Incredible," Ariana whispered. "So strong!"

"Cool, huh?" April asked. "Good thing we found out how to manipulate the crystal, and how to use it."

Ariana nodded. "Who would have thought that it was the _proximity_ that caused the reaction in the first place? The nearer it is to us, the stronger it reacts to our power."

April chuckled. "A lesson understood is a lesson learned. All we need to do is keep it more than 30 centimeters away, and it doesn't react unless we connect to it specifically." Shrugging, she added, "It's Coulomb's law. The energy required is directly proportionate to the distance that energy has to cross."

Ariana nodded, and untied the headband. "Your turn?" she asked, handing the headband to April. 

April accepted the item, but shook her head. "I'm not keen on it… I keep feeling as if my control is slipping. I don't want to become one of those people who can't control their own power."

Ariana nodded solemnly as April put the item away. "April, sister, you'll need to let your body act sometime… martial arts are all about letting your instincts and reactions guide you. If you insist on keeping everything on the conscious level, you'll be too slow."

April shrugged, and smiled at Ariana. "I'll have you nearby to do the fighting, Ari. I practice the arts to get to know myself, and what Zodiac did to me."

Ariana shook her head in amusement, and dropped her arm around April's shoulders. "Yeah, you'll always have me, April. I won't let anything happen to you. I promise."

April hugged her friend. "Thanks, Ari. That means a lot."

Ariana shrugged. "You're my best friend, my sister, and everything else I need. I'll defend you with my life."

April didn't answer, but put her head on her friend's shoulder. Ariana smiled, and the two girls kept walking. They didn't need to talk. Their understanding was instinctive. 

Night had fallen over four hours ago, and only now did April signal her friend to halt. The spot she had selected sported a beautiful waterfall, its splendor diminished only slightly because of the gray-vision. After clearing the ground of leaves and branches, Ariana started a fire while April rolled out the sleeping mats. Both girls had been in Japan for almost two years now, and it showed. Both had put on some muscle, and both moved with the quiet grace of a martial artist. 

The two girls sat down at the fire.

"It's nice to be out here," April said, looking up at the starry expanse, and drawing in a deep breath. The clean air entered her nostrils, her nose registering the scents of the forest.

Ariana nodded. "It was great of Morimoto-sensei to allow us to go hiking."

April chuckled slightly, and lay down on her back, her hands under her head. "Yeah. Really nice." Both girls were silent for a few more moments, before April picked up again. "Ari?"

"Hm?" Ariana asked, her back against a tree, gazing at the waterfall. Hr thoughts had dwelled on the fact that April really knew how to pick her sleeping spots.

"Have you ever thought about… you know… staying here?" April asked. 

Ariana was silent for a few seconds. "To be honest, I haven't really thought much about… afterwards. What to do after we've finished our training with Morimoto-sensei."

"Well, I was thinking about maybe staying here… Carol can get us permanent visas, so legally, it's not a problem. I just don't want to keep leeching off Morimoto-sensei."

"I know what you mean," Ariana answered thoughtfully. "Maybe we could find ourselves a job here? Japan is a high-tech country. With our knowledge and intellects, getting a job shouldn't be too hard."

Again, a silence descended, and both girls instinctively thought the same thing. "We can't prove it," they said at the same time. It was April who continued, "Zodiac will find us as soon as someone checks our Institute records."

Ariana nodded, remaining silent. 

"Worries for later, I guess," April said, getting into her sleeping bag.

Ariana shrugged. "Maybe. But, for as much as it's worth, I don't think we've outstayed our welcome with Morimoto-sensei yet."

April chuckled. "A good think Yahiko didn't decide to wage war after that one incident. I mean, he really could have made things interesting for us."

"I really felt for him… he really liked you, you know?" Ariana asked. 

"Yeah, I know," April replied, a little thoughtful. "I didn't know how to deal with it… I was lucky something useful popped into my mind."

"You didn't handle it that badly, I think," Ariana replied. "At least you didn't lead him on."

April shrugged. "He is my friend. I told him I cared for him, as a friend, but that we could never happen, that we're too different. I acted as I thought I should act… tell him the truth instead of trying to be tactful, and maybe making things even worse."

"He didn't speak to any of us for days after that," Ariana mused, looking at the fall again. "And then, he just went back to the way he was… no resentment. I don't know. Maybe he was happy you didn't lead him on, or maybe he realized that things really _couldn't_ work out between you. Whatever the case, he found someone else soon after."

April nodded solemnly. After a few seconds of silence, she said, "Maybe it was just a crush, one of those passing things… Poor Yahiko. He would never allow me to slow down for him, and he'd kill himself trying to keep up. It's a good thing he found a new interest… I don't know how things would have turned out otherwise."

Ariana nodded. "He'd die out of exhaustion, if nothing else…how much have we slept in the last three days? Ten hours out of seventy-two?"

"Something like that," April replied. "Still… I felt really bad about hurting him, back then. I wish there could have been some other way, some way I hadn't hurt his feelings."

"You couldn't have done anything… unless you had stayed with him, doing the girlfriend-thing, and sacrificed your happiness for his, just so you wouldn't hurt him," Ariana replied. "You have a heart that's too kind, April."

April sighed. "Maybe," the girl whispered. "It's a good thing we can laugh about it now, with Yahiko taken the lead on jokes about it. Too bad it was really hard at the time."

Ariana shrugged, and nodded. "I know… It is a good thing we can laugh about it, isn't it?"

April chuckled slightly. "Yeah… Anyway, I think I'm going to catch some sleep."

Ariana got into her own sleeping bag. "Good idea. Sleep tight, Sis."

"Sleep tight, Sis," April replied, turning over, and closing her eyes. She was asleep within seconds, just like Ariana. 

The next day, at around lunchtime, the two girls were climbing to the top of a small mountain. It wasn't a high one, more like a glorified hill, but it still took the girls half an hour to get to the top. Of course, they could have just _flown_ up there, but that would have been cheating.

"Here we are," April said, releasing her backpack, and sitting down.

"Yep," Ariana answered, sitting down next to her friend. Both girls looked around. 

"Nice view," Ariana commented.

"Yep," April replied. Again, silence descended as both girls looked around the top. It was small, oval in shape, and not very large. Large enough for maybe a dozen people to lie comfortably in the mellow grass, but not exactly large.

"Bored?" April asked finally.

"Yep," Ariana chuckled. "I'd expected much more."

"Now we know why there aren't any people up here," April replied, getting up. "Come on, let's go down. Maybe we'll catch something along the way. I'm getting a little hungry."

Ariana nodded. "Let's hope we catch _two_ somethings. I'm rather hungry myself," she answered with a chuckle. April laughed out loud, soon joined in by Ariana. The two girls descended along the opposite side they had climbed. 

Halfway down, April stopped. Ariana came to a half next to her friend. "What's wrong?" Ariana asked, looking confused at April. Her friend was just standing there, staring intently at the hill.

"I think… I feel something familiar," April whispered. "Look, Ari."

Ariana let her psychokinetic powers enter the rocky side of the hill. "I feel it too," the girl replied. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Quartz," April answered, closing her eyes. Psycho-control entered her view. _Demolition, ready,_ the screen read. April slammed the psychokinetic equivalent of a hammer and chisel into the rock. It groaned, and a huge piece of it fell forward, causing both girls to instantly jump back. Unfortunately, the narrow path they were on didn't allow for them to jump back. So, they jumped, started falling, and instinctively started to float as their psychokinetic powers caught them. 

They flew back to the location April had hit. The piece of rock that had detached, had hit the ground below with much cracking and snapping sounds. But… inside the hole… both girls found a piece of glass-quality quartz. It was big, about thirty centimeters in length, and about fifteen centimeters wide. They could look right through it, that was the clarity of the crystal.

"That is one _big_ piece of quartz," Ariana replied. "Damn, April, you're sensitive. You could pick up that quartz through the rock… still, it's a big chunk, but still. I didn't feel it until you told me to."

"Maybe I'm just more alert," April replied. "Being the one who doesn't want to hurt anybody, I'm always on the lookout for anything or anybody, so I can avoid before a confrontation happens. Anyway, we need to get that rock loose."

"Maybe you'd better…" Ariana replied. "You're better at the minute stuff."

April shrugged her consent, and focused. Gently, the rock around the pillar-shaped crystal began to crumble, before the entire thing just gave way, and fell out. April's hand shot out, and grabbed. "Here we go," she stated. 

"Cool," Ariana said, receiving the crystal from April. "That thing's heavy… can you imagine what _this_ would do to our powers?"

April chuckled. "Not much, probably. It needs to be polished, and cut before it'll amplify."

Ariana shrugged. "Doesn't matter. So, what will we make from it? A headband? A necklace? A bracelet? This thing's big enough… let's do all three," she said, laughing excitedly.

April laughed as well. "Who knows what'll happen," she answered her friend euphoria. "Let's just put it away, and decide what to do with it after we get back. Right now, I'm feeling the need to catch two somethings, just for myself."

Ariana laughed at her friend's words, and handed over the crystal, which April put away in her backpack. "Come on, let's go," Ariana urged. "I need two somethings myself."

Laughing together, the two girls continued their journey down.

'Oversight' was sitting behind his desk. His general appearance was one of lingering illness: pale skin, bloodshed eyes, three days worth of stubble on his chin and cheeks, and his hair was badly in need of a cut. He finished his cup of ultra-strong coffee, and poured himself another cup, the fourth one this morning. 

"Where are those bitches?" he muttered quietly, opening the so-manieth report. All said the same thing. April and Ariana were gone. Couldn't be found. No trace. 

He pulled up his phone, and pressed the line for his secretary. 

"Yes, sir?" she asked, professionally polite. No one was polite to him because they wanted to anymore. He had lost all respect he had once held, simply because of his failure to locate, let alone detain, the two escaped girls. 'Oversight' was tired of the underlying tone of disrespect. He'd find the girls, and he'd get them back. 

"Get me Eric Woodman," he grunted.

"Sir, Eric Woodman has retired, and announced he wanted nothing more to do with the black ops community."

Did that voice mock him? 'Oversight' closed his eyes. _I am becoming paranoid. I am hearing things that aren't there. _"Convince him. Send a small team, and obtain his wife. I am sure that'll change his mind."

"Yes, sir," the secretary replied, and 'Oversight' hung up. 

He sighed deeply. "What has gone so wrong? Why can't we find them?" he asked the empty air of his small office. Zodiac was still located at the small facility, funds still hadn't been reestablished, and all kinds of legal problems had worked their way to his front door. 'Oversight' had been fighting the bureaucracy for his right to do his job, and he had been fighting his own men to maintain some measure of respect.

He wasn't sure he had succeeded in either way. 

'Oversight' stared at the bottom of his empty cup. He poured himself a fifth one. _Looks like no sleep for me tonight, either. Oh, well. Nothing new there. I haven't slept right in weeks. _

About four hours later, 'Oversight' was staring empty-eyed at his computer screen, where a screensaver indicated the device hadn't been used in twenty minutes. His secretary buzzed the telephone.

"Yes?" 'Oversight' asked, his voice not indicting the state of unrest he had been in earlier. 

"Mr. Woodman to see you, sir," the woman on the other side replied. 

"By all means, let him in!" 'Oversight' replied, sitting up straight, and attempting to straighten up his disheveled hair. Nothing he did in those few meager seconds could hide the state of ruin his health was in. 

Eric Woodman, a man of 1.80 meters of length, and with short-cropped blonde hair, was escorted in by two deadly-looking soldiers. "You!" the man shouted, hitting the desk with his shackled hands. 

"Ah, Mr. Woodman. Good to see you again," 'Oversight' said. "Coffee?" he offered.

"You can give me my wife," Eric grunted, falling backwards in the chair. The two soldiers kept standing on either side of him.

"If you give me two girls," 'Oversight' replied, getting up, and fetching himself a fresh cup of coffee. "Are you sure you don't want some?"

Eric sighed. "I though it would be something like this. Listen, I don't DO that kind of work anymore. And yes, I'm sure I don't want coffee."

"Oh, but you will, Mr. Woodman," 'Oversight said, sitting down with as much grace his exhausted body could muster. He sat up straight, and his face turned deadly serious. Even though his body looked next to dead, his voice was still very much capable of peeling paint. "You see, if you don't comply, I will _personally_ make sure that dear Sandy will meet a very unfortunate fate. And trust me, Eric. I can make a fate _very _unfortunate. The last one took _weeks_ to die."

Eric sunk back in his chair. "Who do you want me to find?" he asked, dejectedly. 

'Oversight' smiled. "That's the spirit! Now, I am giving you three months to find these two girls… anything you want, you'll get. All except for your wife, of course. Now, the longer you take to find our targets, the longer your lovely wife will be our…guest." 'Oversight' snickered at the word 'guest'. He pressed the button for the intercom. "Micky, give Mr. Woodman access to the Phalanx and Sagittarius files. He'll need them."

Eric sighed, and got up. He knew when he was dismissed. The soldiers took the shackles off his hands, and escorted him out the door. 

"Good luck," 'Oversight' whispered. "You'll damn well need it."

April was sitting on the edge of the cliff with her eyes closed. She was playing a Japanese flute, and a slow rhythm disappeared into the night sky. She had always enjoyed arts, ever since she took the bagpipes-course back at the Institute. So, Morimoto had consented to teach April the flute, as well as the art of calligraphy. Both soothed April's over-active mind, which had the continuous tendency to worry too much. Arts kept her mind pinned down, giving the girl something to focus on besides the world in general.

By now, April and Ariana had been with Morimoto for almost three years. Only two months away, and they would celebrate their third year together. April continued playing, the thought of being in peace for almost three years bringing a smile to her face. Ariana sat down silently, letting April play. 

April, however, broke off her playing. "Morning, Ari," April greeted her friend.

Ariana shot her friend a smile in return. "Morning, April. So, today's the test, huh?"

April nodded. "Yep. I wonder what Morimoto-sensei has in mind for us. His tests are always fun."

Ariana chuckled. "Yeah, they are. I'm wondering, too. He left around noon yesterday, to prepare things for us. He returned very late."

In comfortable silence, the two girls sat side-by-side over the edge, each in thought, staring out over the nature below. Finally, they heard the sliding backdoor of Morimoto's house, and the two girls got to their feet. 

"Good morning, Morimoto-sensei," the two greeted him, bowing. 

"Good morning, my students," Morimoto replied, returning the bow. He motioned for the forest. "Let us depart."

April and Ariana dipped their heads, and followed their teacher. After a hike of a couple of hours, Morimoto stopped near a gorge. 

"All you are allowed are your do-gis," their master spoke. "You must travel down this path, to the bottom of the gorge, and retrieve the additional equipment. I will not tell you where, only that the first step is down in the gorge. You must use what I have taught you about observation to find your first instructions, and the equipment allowed. The instructions will tell you the second stage, where you will find more equipment, and more instructions. The test ends when you make it into my house, fully equipped, without making a sound, or alerting me to your presence. Know that I will do my best to hinder you along the way."

April and Ariana looked down the path, leading into the gorge. The first step seemed easy, but April and Ariana knew better. Nothing was as it seemed, and both girls felt themselves preparing for whatever lay ahead. "We will not fail, Morimoto-sensei," April assured the man, bowing. Ariana bowed as well, the expression on her face mimicking April's.

Morimoto returned the bow, and walked back into the forest. April and Ariana looked at each other, nodded curtly, and started walking down the rocky path, barely wide enough to comfortably accommodate one person. They had to press themselves against the rock-face and shuffle along on more than one occasion. 

After they had traveled for about twenty minutes, April stopped them. "These rocks aren't natural," she told her friend, looking intently at some stones in the rock. Using their powers never entered in their minds. Their sensei had said only gis, so they would use only gis. Using their bare hands, April and Ariana wrested some of the stones out of the hole they had been jammed in. Indeed, a hole became visible behind the stones. 

April reached in, and retrieved two sets of Shuko, and a hand-written note. 

_Congratulations on your first stage,_ the note read. _Travel down into the gorge, until you find a sign telling you to climb the rock wall._

April looked at Ariana, who shrugged. After folding the note neatly,April put it away. Ariana, meanwhile, had put on one set of Shuko climbing hooks. They looked like gloves, with the biggest difference being the fact that claws had been attached to the palms. The Shuko were suited for climbing, but also for combat purposes, and a trained ninja-warrior was very much able to catch, and sometimes even break, the blade of a sword. 

After April had put on the second set, the twosome continued their way down. They reached the bottom of the gorge about an hour later. 

April and Ariana looked from left to right. "Which way?" April asked, confused. "Do we go left, or right?" 

"Morimoto-sensei must have left some indication," Ariana replied, looking around.

"Probably," April answered, joining her friend. The two girls soon found an indication, namely a broken twig. They continued their journey. Since they couldn't walk as fast as they were accustomed to, April and Ariana walked at what would be considered a good pace for any normal person.

Suddenly, after about twenty minutes of travel, both girls froze, their instincts having warned them of something. The next moment, it was too late. Ariana felt something sting her neck. The next moment, she was down on the floor, her nerves feeling ablaze with pain. 

April fell down, next to her friend. Her eyes shot from left to right, and she sniffed the air anxiously. Her hearing was stretched to its limits. She detected the smell of Morimoto, but it was receding, indicating he was on his way to whatever else he was planning.

Morimoto didn't really feel anything at this point. After repelling down from the rock, he had ambushed his two students. As he had thought, their relative familiarity with being alone in the wilderness, and their belief in their genetically engineered bodies, had made them blissfully arrogant. Their guards were almost completely down. Morimoto was sure they had learned their lesson. The poison would burn in into their consciousness.

April knelt next to her moaning friend, very much concerned. 

"Ari?" she asked, trying to do the best to keep the fearful tremble out of her voice.

"Burns," Ariana whispered. "Burns so bad. Feel… like my nerves… are on fire."

April took a deep breath to steady herself. _Poison,_ she told herself. _Let's see… Ari's sweating, pale, and her nerves feel like they're burning. She's not throwing up, and she hasn't lost muscle control. _ By now, April had dragged her friend to the protection of the rock wall, under the cover of some shrubs. 

"April?" Ariana whispered. 

"Shh," April comforted her friend. "It's only a mild poison. I'll go and prepare an antidote. Stay still, it'll limit the spreading of the poison."

"My fault…" Ariana whispered. "Ninja should…be one with environment… I…distraction…"

April shook her head forcefully, sending mid-back brown hair flying. Right now, it was tied in a braid, which hung loose on the girl's back. "We'll be more attentive. It's not your fault. I was distracted just as much as you were. We'll focus. Morimoto-sensei has taught us a valuable lesson. We can't rely on your gengineered bodies, or we'll fail."

Ariana brought out a few sounds, and closed her eyes. Worried, April's hand shot out to Ariana's head, feeling the temperature. She let out her breath. _For a moment, I feared I had misjudged the poison,_ April thought. She got up. "I'll be right back, Ari."

April shot out of the hideout. Now that she wasn't looking for signs as to where to climb the rock, she would use her body's natural speed to its fullest. April guided herself by her nose and ears, her eyes perpetually shooting from left to right. She could faintly detect Morimoto, but he was almost out of range of her nose by now. She couldn't hear him anymore, and her nose detected no other humans, except for Ariana, in the vicinity. She collected herbs at a fast pace, and returned to the hideout within twenty minutes. 

She rolled the herbs together into a tight ball. She knew that the best way for this to work was to squash the herbs, and let Ariana drink the juices. But, she didn't have a cup to crush them in. so, she held the little ball out for Ariana to swallow.

"Ari, come on, wake up, Ari. Time for your medicine," April insisted. Ariana slowly opened her eyes. She opened her mouth, and April put the tiny ball inside. Ariana swallowed. 

Within minutes, color started to return to her face. Within ten minutes, she was sitting upright, and in another five, she was standing on her feet, ready to go.

"I hope Morimoto-sensei doesn't try that trick on Yahiko," Ariana told April. 

"If he's as stupid as we were, he deserves it," April replied coolly. Her eyes, ears, and nose were wide open. There was no doubt in her mind she wouldn't allow Morimoto to overcome them a second time. 

Ten minutes after the two had resumed their walk, they reached a funny-looking tree, nothing more than a stem with three thick branches. One of those branches was pointing slantwise up the rock wall.

The two girls knelt down at the base of the tree. April retrieved a small pouch from the dirt at the base of the tree. _Congratulations on your second stage. Move up the rock, and move to your right. You will find your next set of instruction there._ Also buried in the dirt were then shuriken, the infamous ninja throwing stars. Both girls took five, and shoved them in their respective belts. Not exactly safe, since the little devices were razor-sharp, but they would have to make due. 

April and Ariana managed to climb the near-vertical rock wall without too much trouble. April was the first one up, and she immediately rolled to one side, her eyes, ears, and nose sweeping the area for ambushes. She found none, so she motioned for Ariana to come up. The two girls started walking to the right, just as their instructions had indicated. 

After a couple of hours, the two girls uncovered their next note. With this one came two 'combat uniforms', the tight-fitting black robes that came with hood, mask, and plenty of space to hide weapons. Grateful that they no longer had to carry the throwing stars in their belts, the two girls changed outfits. 

Over the course of the day, the girls uncovered their lunch, a set of nunchucks each, one blowgun, with two darts, and a sword each. By the time they made it back to the house, it was dark. April and Ariana huddled together under the cover of the trees, their sharp vision looking across the back yard, towards the house. 

April put her hand on Ariana's shoulder. _We haven't heard or seen Morimoto-sensei since that attack on you. I don't like it,_ she sent, voicing the same thoughts Ariana was having.

_Agreed,_ Ariana replied coolly. _Who knows what he might have in store for us?_

April anxiously sniffed the air. Except for the normal smells found in the nature, the faint smell of Morimoto's house, and the degraded smells of Morimoto and Yahiko, she found nothing. _He could be hiding down-wind,_ she muttered to Ariana, who just nodded. 

_This is as good a time as any to get going,_ Ariana muttered. _I suggest we split up. One stays behind, covers the other with the blowgun. _

_I'll stay,_ April whispered. _The one last is the most at risk. _

_Okay. Ready?_ Ariana asked, her eyes darting over the empty yard. April confirmed her readiness, the Ariana shot out of the tree line, out into the light of full moon, high up in the sky.

April had readied the small tube with a tranquilizer dart, and was aiming left and right, covering her sprinting partner. Ariana huddled against one wall of the house. After peering around the corner, she raised her thumb to April, and motioned for her to come. April lowered the gun, secured it in her uniform, and shot across the lawn. She huddled behind her friend within seconds. 

_Nothing,_ Ariana thought to her friend, after April reestablished contact. 

April closed her eyes, and let her own senses double-check. She too, came up empty. _I know,_ she answered. Together, the two girls slid around the corner, towards the back door. _We need to get in without being detected. And, if I know Morimoto-sensei, he has some kind of trap on the doors and windows. He'll know we're inside. _

Ariana sighed, and nodded. _Here goes nothing._ She eased her sword in between the door and the wall, and went around the perimeter of it. If there had been strings attached to the door, they were gone now. April, meanwhile, could detect two faint respiration sounds. Yahiko and Morimoto. They were both far away, but that meant nothing. Morimoto could be breathing shallowly to keep the sound down. 

Ariana looked through the crack, but saw nothing. _I think it's clear._

April's hand grew into a clamp, keeping Ariana from opening the door. _Listen, Ari. I think I have an idea…_

Morimoto was waiting as quiet as a cat, his eyes locked to the back door. He had seen a sword go around the edges, effectively removing the traps he had connected to it. _You're good, girls. If I hadn't had the luxury of knowing you were coming, I would never have stood a chance._

He raised the blowgun, and aimed for the door. It started sliding open, and Morimoto readied himself. He went to one knee, and steadied himself, the small tube aimed for the door. This dart contained more of the same poison he had used earlier, only in a more concentrated form. This would induce a deep sleep, not just agony. The sleep would last for about a day and a half, but would leave no lasting effects.

The door continued to slide open. He saw a black shadow slide inside. Not feeling anything, he blew. The dart raced towards the shadow. Suddenly, the shadow rolled to one side, making the dart avoid the figure altogether. The shadow had raised the nunchucks, and was racing towards him, swinging them dangerously. 

Morimoto jumped up, and drew his sword, preparing to teach his student a lesson. The next moment, he felt a curious sensation. The tip of a sword pressed against the back of his neck. 

"Good evening, Sensei. Please lower your blade," he heard April say. "We beat you, fair and square."

He lowered his sword, and felt the sword at his neck ease away. Ariana had thrown back the hood and mask, and was smiling slightly. April came around, her hood and mask thrown back as well.

"We thought you'd be waiting for us," Ariana said, smiling. "So, April thought we should make use of our numerical superiority, and split up."

"Ari continued on the back door, while I opened the window in our bedroom, and came in that way. I snuck up behind you, and while you were busy with Ari, I surprised you," April finished, her smile mimicking her friend's. 

"Well done, girls. Really well done. You have earned the right to wear those uniforms you are wearing," Morimoto said. "Congratulations."

"Morimoto-sensei… what…do you mean?" Ariana asked.

"Those uniforms are now your property, my students," Morimoto answered, smiling slightly to indicate his satisfaction. 

Both girls bowed to him. "Thank you, Morimoto-sensei. We will not disappoint you."

Morimoto smiled a little wider. "I am sure you will not," Morimoto replied.

"Here," Eric Woodman said, throwing a file on 'Oversight's' desk. "I flew to Japan, and tracked down those two girls for you. It made me sick to my stomach to read what you did, but that's not my concern any more. I want my wife."

'Oversight' leafed through the file, and found pictures, among other things. 

"Impressive. It only took you two months," 'Oversight' replied. He looked up, and closed the file. "Very well, Mr. Woodman. I will get you your wife."

Eric grunted. "Thanks."

'Oversight' got up, and showed Eric to the same cellblock that had originally housed April and Ariana. He unlocked the cage, and the wife flew across the open space, into Eric's arms. 

"Just tell me one thing," Eric grunted as he, his wife and 'Oversight' were being escorted outside. 

'Oversight' shrugged. "Depends on the question." _Damn, how I want to kill that asshole. He really knows too much… but he's the best in the field. If I had him killed, I would join him and his wife soon after. There are guys who want him alive that are a lot stronger and have a lot more pull than I have._

"They got into a motel without a credit card. They booked a place on a cargo plane. They got into Japan with a car and not more than a couple of JC Penney bags. How? Anyone else would have had a lot of problems doing that, and they didn't get as much as a clearance check."

'Oversight' chuckled. "They have a basic mind-manipulation ability. It makes people want to trust and help them… but stress blocks the use of that ability. So, during combat, our guys are safe from its influence."

Eric grunted. "Poor things. Why don't you just let them be?" Eric asked, rather angry.

"They're evidence. Evidence needs to be eliminated," 'Oversight' replied, ice-cold. "Here we are. Good luck, Eric."

"Huh," Eric huffed, as he and his wife stepped into a car, and drove off. The gate hadn't fully closed yet, or 'Oversight' turned to one of the soldiers that ahd escorted them.

"Get me a full level-one strike team, on the double. We're going to Japan, and we're going to get those bitches."

Eric turned the car onto the main road before glancing across at his wife. He could see the tension radiating off her as she bit her lower lip. Her body seemed to have shrunken down, her arms wrapped across her chest as she stared down at her feet. He reached his arm over and gently tugged her body into his as he continued driving with his other hand. She sank into his side and began sobbing, turning her face into his chest.

"Shhh. It's alright," he soothed her gently, stroking her back with his hand. "We're going to be ok."

"It's never going to be ok, is it?" she cried. "You quit and they're still making you do things."

"Sandy, you don't have to worry, ok? I'll take care of you. Even when those bastards took you, I knew that I'd have done anything to get you back safely," Eric assured her.

"It's never going to end. Whenever they need you, they'll just take me and force you," She sobbed piteously.

"No, I don't think so. I'm going to get these bastards. I know what they want, and I'm going to prevent them from getting it," he stated coldly. "They're going to pay for what they did."

"No, don't do it. They'll kill you," Sandy begged him. "You don't know what those people said to me. They were going to kill me in there. They told me that if you tried anything funny, they'd kill you too."

"Shhh. Don't worry about it. I'm going to correct what they made me do. After I fix it, I'll come back to you and we'll disappear for awhile," he promised her quietly.

"Will you be safe?" she asked, lifting her head to look into his eyes.

"Yes. After I get to the airport, I want you to take the car to your mother's place. I'll meet you there in three days," he told her. "Everything will go smoothly. They need time to prepare for anything, and I don't. I'll be able to slip in and out before they even know what's going on."

"Slip in where? My God, you're not planning to go back to that place are you?" she asked incredulously.

"No, I have to warn some people in Japan. Two little girls who haven't done anything wrong. If I don't do anything, they'll die. Because I was the one that found them, I can't live with that on my conscious. I have to do this, I don't have any choice," he stated calmly. "I know how I'd feel if someone went after Caitlin." The mentioning of their daughter's name seemed to convince Sandra Woodman, and she nodded quietly.

"I love you, Eric. Come home to me as quickly as you can," she told him quietly, laying her head back down onto his chest.

"I love you, too. I'll be back as fast as I can."

The Woodmans separated at the airport with a quick goodbye on both their parts. Sandra drove the car off and Eric stared at it until it disappeared in the distance. Sighing, he turned and entered the building. Keeping a careful watch to make sure he wasn't followed, he made his way to the courtesy desk. He kept his eyes sweeping back and forth, eyeing each person that came into his range, and mentally filing their faces away in his memory for comparisons later. If one of those faces turned up again, he felt confident that he would recognize them. His life usually depended on his ability to recognize patterns and reoccurring people.

Finally reaching the courtesy desk, he placed his hands on the counter and waited. The young brunette was currently talking to someone on the phone, and held up a finger to him as she finished.

"Yes, sir. May I help you?" the young woman asked politely.

"I need to have a man named William Pierce paged."

"Sure, not a problem," she smiled at him. She picked up the phone again and dialed the public address system. Eric calmly filed that little tidbit away as useful information and listened as she paged the requested name. Smiling his thanks to her, he turned to scan the crowd. He stood there for several minutes before spotting the man he was looking for. He sighed as the tension he was feeling relaxed a bit.

Intercepting the man before he could make it to the desk, Eric held his hand out in greeting. "Mr. Pierce, I was told to look you up if I ever had need of your services."

William shook Eric's hand, but didn't say a word. He just looked at Eric and waited. Eric remember that the man was incapable of speech, ever since his tongue was somewhat forcefully removed after a drug run had gone bad.

"I need to get to Japan as quickly as possible. I have a meeting to get to, and time is of the essence. In fact, you could even say it was a matter of life and death," Eric stated calmly. "Two people need to be warned in person. That's all I can tell you at this time."

William looked like he was deep in thought for a couple of seconds before nodding his agreement. Signaling to Eric to follow him, he turned and walked back into the crowd. Beginning his scan of the crowd again, Eric followed silently.

William led the way to his plane, an old prototype that had been salvaged from a government scrap auction. It was in a two-seater arrangement, one behind the other, and looked fast. Eric whistled his appreciation while William began his preflight inspection. Two jet engines thrust themselves out from under a twin tail-wing design. The sweptback wings were graceful, giving the aircraft an appearance of speed and beauty. The fuselage was almost boxy but had a strong look to it. Three external fuel tanks hung from below the plane, two from the wings, and one from the fuselage. Combined with the sharp nose cone, the entire plane spoke of a military background. Except for the Candy Apple Red paint job, Eric mused to himself with a grin. He didn't recall any military units using that color before.

William finished what he was doing and motioned Eric to climb the ladder into the rear seat. Handing a thick envelope over, Eric complied and settled into the bucket seat, glancing at the arrangement of different screens around him. William reached in and set the restraint harness into place before climbing into his own seat. Not being able to see what William was doing in front, he turned his attention to what was going on outside the aircraft. The ladder was removed by the ground crew, and the chocks pulled away from the tires. The entire aircraft vibrated with power as the engines were fired up one after the other.

Feeling a little apprehension, Eric sat as calmly as possible as the plane taxied to the runway. Well, can't turn back now, he told himself. Then his heart leapt into his throat as the engines were pushed to afterburners and the craft pushed his body back into the seat with enough force to crush the breath from his lungs. Then the plane pointed upwards and shot into the sky at a sixty-degree angle from the ground and Eric said the single most mundane thing he'd said in years as he watched the earth pull away from him. Very loudly. "Ohhhh, Shiiiiiiit!"

The flight was over fairly quickly. After landing, Eric went through customs with the speed of a veteran traveler. Securing a rental car, he arrived at Morimoto's house at noon. Checking over the terrain, he felt horrible over what he was about to destroy. _Peace and tranquility were precious things, _he thought, _and once again I'm going to destroy them._ Sighing over his fate, he walked to the front door and knocked gently on the wooden frame. It was opened almost immediately by a teenaged oriental boy who said something in Japanese that was beyond Eric's comprehension.

"I need to see April and Ariana, please," he told the boy.

The boy didn't blink at him, but he said something else and indicated that Eric should wait. Shortly, an older oriental gentleman opened the door, bowed, and swept his arm forwards to point the way inwards. Eric returned the bow and walked in. The man led him through the house to the yard in back. Standing in front of him was one of the girls he had been told to find. The old man turned and walked back into the house leaving Eric alone with the girl.

"Are you April or Ariana?" Eric asked.

"How do you know my name?" the girl asked gently. "And how did you know where to find me?"

"I'm a tracker. I find people for a living. I was told to find you for Zodiac. I did-" He was interrupted when the girl's hand suddenly snapped out.

"Ari, _don't_!" the girl shouted to someone behind him. Eric whirled around, and found the second girl standing there. How she had managed to come so close, without him hearing her, was beyond him. He was impressed, to say the least.

"You work for those killers?" the second girl snarled at him.

"He hasn't provoked anything," the first girl said on that gentle tone of hers. She looked around, as if trying to find someone. To his surprise, she sniffed the air. "Besides, we're clear."

The second girl sniffed as well, and calmed down somewhat.

"Do you have any weapons on you?" The compassionate one asked him.

"Yes, I have a pistol and a knife. The pistol is in my holster in the small of my back and my knife is in my right boot," he told her.

"May we remove them?" the gentle question was.

"As long as I get them back after we're done, sure," he replied. 

"Ari, if you would please," the first girl said, her gentle voice relaxing Eric. The second girl was on him in under a second. He felt the knife and gun being removed, virtually at the same time. The girl snapped into place next to her partner.

"By the way, I'm April." the gentle girl said. "This is Ariana," she added, motioning for her now relaxed companion. He nodded his greeting to her. Both girls were standing, side-by-side, obviously waiting for him to speak. So, he spoke.

"My name is Eric Woodman. As I was trying to say before I was interrupted…" he said, shooting a grin at Ariana, who shrugged, and returned a little apologetic smile. "I am a professional man hunter. Approximately two months ago, my wife was taken prisoner by Zodiac. I was told to find you or they would kill her." He turned his head downwards. "I didn't want to do it, but I didn't have a choice. So… I found the people they were searching for… you. My wife is the most important person in the world to me. I would kill for her safety, without hesitation, without remorse." He nodded when the first girl seemed unsettled at that remark. "But all I was to do was find you. I turned your location over to them this morning. After seeing my wife to safety, I came straight here to warn you. They'll be here soon. What you do when they arrive is up to you. I promised that I would come home safely, and I intend to fulfill that promise. So you're on your own."

"Why are you warning us, Mr. Woodman?" April asked.

"Because… I don't know… I felt that… you were… innocent, I suppose. It's hard to put into words. You didn't have any control of what they did to you, and yet they want to… get rid of you to protect themselves. I will give you this advice, information is what they fear. They work in secrecy and in the dark."

"Thank you, Mr. Woodman." April said to him, walking over. She hugged him, and he was surprised at the strength in her grip. "You took a large risk coming here. For this, you have our thanks, and our gratitude. Go in peace to your wife."

Eric handed her his business card and told her, "If you ever need help, give me a call. I won't put my family in danger directly, but I can offer temporary shelter, advice, and contacts."

April bowed as she accepted the card, Japanese style, both hands taking the card. "I wish you well, Mr. Woodman. We will call if we have need." She looked up, and smiled. "And I am sure you will find us when you are in need of our help." Eric kept his mouth shut. He could _feel_ that something powerful lurked beneath the surface of these two girls. He decided not to comment. 

As April stepped back, Ariana hugged him as well. "Sorry about earlier," she said, pulling back. "Didn't mean to startle you."

"Yes, you did," April shot to her friend, smiling slightly.

"Yeah, well… good luck… you're going to need it. I hope to see you again," Eric whispered, and then turned to leave. April and Ariana showed him to the door. Keeping in line with Japanese customs, they waited outside the door until the car was out of view before going back inside. Or, they would have gone inside, if they had felt the need for it.

April suddenly seemed agitated, and raced over to Carol. Ariana, surprised at her friend's emotional state, followed. April dumped herself behind the steering wheel.

"Carol, did you get that conversation?" April asked.

"I did, sweetheart," Carol replied. "What a bunch of assholes… kidnap someone's wife to make him work for them?"

"My thoughts exactly!" April shouted. Both Ariana and Carol stared at her. April rarely shouted. She took a couple of breaths, and more relaxed, she told Carol, "Carol, do you remember that file I asked you to compose on Zodiac, back when we first started running?"

"I do, sweetheart. I've got five hundred megs on them, including your genetic profiles, scientific research and backgrounds, files on every possible and impossible doctor, nurse, soldier, and officer involved, and I even managed to find some senators involved," Carol answered, tone neutral, not really knowing where this was going.

April smiled. _Evilly_. Ariana blinked at the expression. "Okay… good. I want you to compose a package, upload it to every public newsgroup and chat-server you can find on the Internet. And then send it to every major newspaper and TV station in the world. Just make sure you remove all the names, and scramble the voices electronically first. We wouldn't want the whole world to know who _we_ are, just who _they_ are."

Ariana's mouth, open during the request, snapped shut. "You're going to expose them?"

"Let's hope it works," April replied. "If we can get public opinion behind us, Zodiac won't have much of a choice. By they way, Carol, those files do include pictures, right?"

Carol smiled wickedly. "Hon, there are enough pictures in these files to create three-dimensional images of every _spider_ that ever crossed the threshold at Zodiac HQ."

April returned the smile. "Good. Now, let's hope things work out… We've got plenty of evidence, but people might not believe it anyway."

Ariana smiled. "I'm sure things will work out, April. Besides, even if it _doesn't_ work, I am sure that they won't be able to be so public about it. Some people may draw the right conclusions."

April just nodded. 

In only forty-eight hours, the entire world knew about Zodiac. Papers printed big headlines, and the story was on every major news channel in the world. Everyone was talking about it, scientists were looking at the research, and various religious groupings were issuing a call to arms, some for the extermination of the gengineered soldiers, and others to find the soldiers, and exterminate the diabolical government responsible for it. In other words, the world was turned upside-down overnight. 

Unfortunately, the mayhem didn't last. Within a week, various different reports were released. Some scientists called the file a fraud, wile others praised it for its brilliant work. 

And the U.S. government kept denying the existence of Zodiac.

In a non-descript office, a man was shitting in the shadows, hiding his features until they were little more than a faint outline. He folded the paper he had been reading, put it down on his desk, and then swept it into the garbage bin standing next to his desk. "Stupid asses," he grunted as he reached for the phone.

"This is Agent Zero-One. Have you heard?" he asked the receiver. 

_How could I not?_ the reply came.

"What I want to know is how they got funding to continue. Those asses were put out of business over seventeen years ago."

_According to this, _the Voice replied after a few seconds of silence, _'Oversight' reestablished Zodiac three years ago, after the genomes first made their way onto the 'Net._

The man nodded. "I remember. Those genomes were contained. Security breach was minimal. Where did 'Oversight' get his funding?"

_Private donations, mostly from the companies involved in the first place. Funding has been limited, and their headquarters is a small building in the Nevada desert now. _

The shadowy man nodded. "I want Oversight, Perkins, zodiac, the companies, the soldiers, and anyone lese involved removed from this plain of existence. _Yesterday_. About those two gengineered bitches: let them go. They did nothing except try to protect themselves. They remained under wraps for three years, only to reappear once they had been found. They are not a threat. Zodiac, in its stupidity, is."

The Voice chuckled. _Of course. I'll institute plan Gamma-Five on Zodiac and its backers. Expect them removed within twelve hours. Be advised: it will not be pretty._

"As long as it looks like an accident, I don't care."

The Voice chuckled again, the chuckle evolving into a laugh this time. _That's what we do best. The nice little Feds will write what we tell them to write in their precious little reports, and the public, blind and stupid sheep as they are, will eat it like pie. _

"Good," the shadowy man said. "I will call back in twelve hours."

_Very well._ The Voice hung up, and the shadowy figure started snickering as his receiver started traveling down to the machine. "You are so dead," he added, chuckling slightly, thinking of 'Oversight' and his group of cowboys. 

'Oversight' looked annoyed at the telephone. He had finally managed to get some sleep, and was now looking a lot better than last time, thanks to Eric, and his tracking skills. 'Oversight' picked up. "'Oversight'."

_Gamma-Five._ The receiver went dead. 'Oversight's mouth was open in shock as he stared at the horn. 

"What the…?" 'Oversight grunted, just before the building shook on its foundations. 

_Alert! Alert!_ A voice announced two seconds later. _Invasion! All forces, defending positions! _

'Oversight' shot up from his chair. In the hallways, M-16 fire could be heard, and 'Oversight' ran as fast as he could to the storage facilities. Along the way, he stopped at a door, and pressed a few keys. The door opened. 

"Okay, men! Storage facility, with me! We're going to leave through there, and we're going to bring the X-five with us!" he shouted to the fifteen men inside the room. They didn't seem to be particularly interested in the alarms, since they were all still in their bunks, but 'Oversight's' voice got them into action. In less then thirty seconds, the men had all dressed up, and armed. 

'Oversight' lead them from the rear. They burst into the storage facility, and started firing at anything that moved, their own men included. 'Oversight' stared at the dead bodies in the storage facility. 

"Quickly!" he urged his men. "They'll know their team has been stopped. Get the X-5, and get in on that truck! We need to get away!"

Ten men jumped up on the truck. Three others picked up a case the size of a man, and lifted it towards the truck. The two remaining men jumped behind the wheel and front passenger seat. 'Oversight' sat in between of the two men in the cabin. 

A sharp knock on the back indicated that the crate marked 'X-5' had been secured. "Go, go!" 'Oversight' urged, and the driver shifted the truck in gear. They busted through the gate, and ran over some of the Gamma-forces besieging the headquarters. 'Oversight' grabbed a remote from his inner pocket, and pressed a code. Behind them, the building, exploded.

"Let them think we all perished," 'Oversight' grunted. "But we're going to finish the job. April and Ariana, you will die!"

The driver chuckled evilly, shook his head, and continued driving. "You know, you're a great boss to work for," the driver commented. "You have the best jobs…"

"…and our top story tonight, the United States Government is still denying the existence of a 'Zodiac Project', as well as the existence of two genetically engineered super-soldiers. Various scientists have looked into the matter, and have concluded that the genetic profiles are indeed probable, and the research contained in the so-called 'Zodiac files' is valid. Attempts at getting the various people mentioned in the Zodiac files to give a statement have not been successful as of yet…"

April switched off the TV, and sighed. "Damn it."

Ariana put her arm around April's shoulders. "Hey, at least the files have been taken seriously enough to be studied. Those genetic experts said they were valid."

"Pf," April puffed. "And others are paid to say it's a total fraud. Most people believe the government's scientists, rather than the independent ones. No, Ari. I'm afraid we've failed. People aren't listening. It's too wild. They're too ignorant to believe the truth, just because the truth doesn't fit in their established view of the world."

Ariana just sighed, and looked dejectedly at the ground. "Come on, April. I'm sure something will come out all of this."

Carol remote-controlled the TV set. "Girls? Could you come out here for a moment? I think I've got something that you want to see."

"Sure, Carol," April replied, getting up. Ariana got up as well, and Carol shut off the TV. The girls went outside, and sat down in Carol's plush seats.

"Here. Take a look at this," Carol said, pulling some data up on her screen. "I tried to get into the Zodiac files. They were all gone. All, except for this little piece of information I found in a database where there wasn't any info on Zodiac before."

"Gamma-five program enabled?" April asked. "What does that mean?" Ariana nodded her agreement to that question.

"Gamma-five means _total extermination_. In other words, Zodiac has been terminated. _Ex_terminated. Everyone who backed them is dead. Every company to funded them is gone. Protection has been cancelled, and everyone has met an 'unfortunate accident'."

April slapped her hand to her mouth, and turned white as a ghost. "They _killed_ everyone?"

Carol nodded. "Zodiac is gone, girls. Mission accomplished. You're free. The orders on you have been retracted, and you've been catalogues as 'non-dangerous individuals', the same classification most UFO researchers have… you'll not be bothered, but don't try anything stupid, or they'll go after you again."

"So, if we stay here, in Japan, leading our quiet lives, they'll leave us alone?" Ariana asked.

Carol nodded. "Basically, yes. You have nothing more to fear from Zodiac, or the government, as long as you keep your mouths shut to the press. Besides, all info you've got, you already leaked to the press, and no one believed you."

April nodded, still looking pale. "Yes…we're free…at the expense of so many people…"

"All those people would have been terminated anyway," Carol replied. "Everyone killed was involved with the project, and knew enough about it to be a security risk. They covered it up by killing those who knew. Don't worry, no innocents were killed. The gammas are the best in the business when it comes to cleaning up messes," the AI said, sounding convinced.

"You sure?" April asked, voice so much like a little girl's that it pained Carol and Ariana to hear it. It was the same voice she had used back in the days she got sick from the violence. 

Carol smiled reassuringly. "Yes, Hon. I'm sure. Don't worry, no innocents were killed."

April nodded. "Okay. That's good… I mean, we're free now!"

Ariana smiled, and hugged her friend. "Yeah, we're free, April. Totally free."

Two days later, Ariana and Yahiko were strolling down a street in a nearby town, larger than the small village Morimoto was living in. Every now and then, they stopped at a store. 

"You're sure Megumi won't mind you being out with another girl?" Ariana asked, smiling at her friend. 

"We're just shopping," Yahiko replied. "Besides, I'm comfortable in the knowledge that she won't rip my head off with her bare hands when she gets mad at me."

Ariana chuckled, and turned to a window. "April would do worse than just rip off your head," Ariana answered, chuckling. "That pen-set looks nice."

Yahiko smiled as well. "With Sensei's knowledge on herbs and poisons, I don't doubt it," he answered, and looked at the set Ariana indicated. "I don't know. Would April like a pen-set? The most I ever see her use are the brushes for calligraphy, or Carol's computer. I never actually see her write."

"It would be the thought that counts," Ariana answered. "She used to like writing… back at the Institute. She insisted on writing everything by hand before transferring it to computer. I never bothered."

Yahiko shrugged. "I don't know why you asked me to come," he said. "You know her better than I do."

"Sometimes, it's good to have a second opinion," Ariana answered. "Like in this case, for instance. I just realized that you're right, and April hasn't written much of anything on paper since leaving the Institute."

"Why are you getting her a present anyway?" Yahiko asked. "I don't know why you think being with us for three years is a good reason for you to be getting her something."

"Because this time, it's special," Ariana replied. "This time, we're free, not constantly living under the sword of Damocles. Besides, I'm sure she will have something for me."

Yahiko smiled, and shook his head. They continued their stroll, and Ariana stopped at yet another store. 

"Hm… how about that pendant? It's not that expensive, and it looks great," she asked her friend. He looked at the silver chain, with a simple, single red stone hanging from it.

"Yeah, that looks great. And I bet she'll like it, too," Yahiko answered. Smiling in satisfaction, Ariana entered the store. The twosome reappeared five minutes later, and Ariana shoved the small package into the inner pocket of her jacket. 

"Okay, let's head back home," Yahiko said. Ariana nodded in agreement, and together, the two started walked back towards their home village, since they decided that it was a nice day for a walk, and had left Carol at home. Half an hour later, Ariana and Yahiko could see their village in the distance. All that lay between them and it was a small gathering of trees. 

The twosome kept a pace that was brisk by Yahiko's standards, but rather normal for Ariana. They walked past the couple dozen trees, when suddenly, Ariana's sharp senses warned her of something. The trees didn't smell like they should. Or rather, there was a smell that shouldn't be there. 

Immediately, she halted Yahiko, and dropped into a combat stance. He, realizing that something must be off, did the same next to her. 

Ten men, dressed in black uniforms, jumped out of the forest before Ariana had a chance to say anything. They pointed their M-16s at the twosome. Ariana didn't hesitate. She charged. Yahiko turned, and charged in the opposite direction. 

Ariana smacked her elbow in one guy's stomach, making him double over. Her leg shot out, kicking a second in the nose. She dropped ot the ground she had left a couple of seconds earlier, and spun around, to find her next targets. 

Yahiko had engaged one soldier, and he would have kept him at bay too, if a second soldier hadn't slammed the handle of his M-16 into the boy's neck. Yahiko went to all fours, seeing entire galaxies worth of stars. The first solider kicked him in the stomach. The second one hit the curled-up boy in the back. Yahiko moaned, and tried to shy away, trying to get up. The first soldier kicked him in the face. Yahiko's world went dark. 

Ariana saw him on the floor, blood seeping from his face. She forgot all about the soldiers, and flashed to his location as fast as her psychokinetically enhanced body could carry her. 

The soldiers surrounded them, even the two Ariana had managed to incapacitate joined in. she didn't notice them. She could only look at the bruised face of her friend. She looked up, her eyes wild. Reaching into her jacket, she pulled out the crystal-headband. It was tied around her head in half a second, thanks to her psychokinetics. 

Ariana got up, screamed, and charged. In mind-space, psycho-control registered a crystal-enhanced psychokinetic armor. She reached the first soldier, and hit him. Ribs could be heard cracking, followed by a hollow cry of sheer pain. She bounced off him, somersaulted in mid-air, and extended her leg as she flew towards a soldier on the opposite end. She hit him in the stomach, and a second moan of pain filled the air.

She grabbed the rifle of one of the more nearby soldiers, and pulled it backwards, throwing it behind her back into the stomach of yet another soldier. The barrel entered his stomach, and the man flew backwards for a couple of meters before hitting the ground, growling like a pig. She grabbed a fifth soldier by the collar, lifted him effortlessly, and smacked him into a sixth soldier, both soldiers flying a couple of meters back.

Then, the four remaining soldiers used the opening Ariana had left them: their rifles. In her rage, she had forgotten to take their rifles away. Safeties were jammed off, and full-automatic modes were engaged. The first bullet hit her torso-armor. The armor was bulletproof, thanks to the crystal. Unfortunately, the impact felt like a baseball bat. Ariana doubled over, and bit back a curse of pain. She erected herself, and started to charge. By now, the other soldiers were emptying their guns at her. 

Each bullet felt like a hit by a major-league baseball player swinging his all-time favorite baseball bat. Hr energy was limited, and the armor was strongest on her head and torso, where the vital areas were… Ariana felt one stray bullet go straight through the armor of the left arm, through the arm, and out the other way. A second bullet penetrated her right leg, but somehow managed to miss the major artery. 

Ariana fell to the floor, coughing up blood. There was internal damage, thanks to the bruising of the bullets. She fell sideways, and crawled to Yahiko, who had somehow managed to regain consciousness. Ariana tore off her Sagittarius necklace, the one she had been found with on the convent's doorstep, and pressed it into Yahiko's hand. "Tell her…I'm sorry," Ariana whispered.

"Leave him. Take her," the commander of the soldiers said. "We want him to notify the second girl. This one's the fighter. The other one will come docilely."

Ariana moaned in pain when two soldiers roughly picked her up under her armpits, and dragged her off to a concealed van. Her shot left arm burned like wildfire, and Ariana couldn't do anything to stop the small moans of pain from coming. She wanted to kill these people. Unfortunately, her energy was gone, and she had blown her chance. She should have gone for the instantaneous kill, instead of trying to be the nice guy, and let them live. Ariana realized April would never have forgiven her if she _had_ killed them without a second thought, and instantaneously regretting the thought from ever coming up. 

April was sitting peacefully in the back yard, a squirrel sitting on her lap. She was petting the furry animal as she looked out over the tranquil nature. Her inner peace was absolute. As long as she was at peace with herself and her environment, the environment was at peace with her.

A small bird landed on her right shoulder, and April turned to smile at it. It started singing, and April turned back to her view. The hand that had been petting the squirrel lifted to rummage slightly through the feathers of her winged friend. The hand left the bird, and returned to the squirrel, all without disturbing her inner peace. 

Suddenly, her eyes opened, and April felt something… a feeling of foreboding. The bird stopped singing. April could feel the squirrel tensing under her hand. She took a couple of breaths, trying to reestablish inner peace. The effort was in vain, and the bird flew off. Moments later, the squirrel hopped off to the forest. April didn't try to stop the creatures. She had lost her inner peace, and there was no sense in forcing nature. 

_What is wrong? I feel something is definitely wrong…_ She cast out her senses, her eyes frantically shooting form left to right. She tried to identify any of the sounds, or any of the smells. Everything was normal. She disliked normal. 

Walking to the cliff, April tried to bring her disturbed body to a state of rest, an effort that remained unrewarded. April got up, and went out to the street, to see if anything had happened. Closing her eyes, she cast out her hearing senses, and picked up the wail of an ambulance. 

_Hmm… an ambulance. Has Magamoto-san's heart given out? He's 94 after all… _April asked herself. _No. That's not it. This is worse. _The wail disappeared in the distance, and April was still looking confused at the road. 

The feeling started to subside, and April started to think that it wasn't all that bad, after all. She returned to the backyard, and tried to resume her meditation. Ariana and Yahiko weren't supposed to be back for another half an hour to an hour, so that left her plenty of time to try and get her squirrel friend back.

Fifteen minutes later, Morimoto hurriedly made his way up to his student. April could hear his heart thumping, the shallow breathing, and the hurried steps. She jumped to her feet, out of full lotus position. "Morimoto-sensei? What's wrong?" she asked, immediately concerned. 

"Yahiko and Ariana were attacked… Yahiko is in the hospital," Morimoto said, somehow managing to keep his voice somewhat calm.

April's eyes went really big. Then they tightened. "We'll take Carol, Morimoto-sensei." She started to run at full speed. By the time Morimoto made it to the car, April had already pulled it out of its hiding place, and had the door open, waiting for him.

"Carol, full speed. Hospital," April choked. "What in _hell_ happened?"

"I don't know, Hon. They asked me not to follow them, so I didn't. And right, now, both Ari's hearing and optical implants are giving out static."

As Carol flung them through the narrow streets, April asked, "Both audio and visual? You don't think that's strange?"

Carol sighed. "They blocked the signal. I'm still trying to boost the gain, to cut through the interference." 

April grunted. "We'll find out at the hospital what happened. I hope."

Five minutes later, April and Morimoto were standing at the bed of Yahiko, who had been bandaged up. He had a couple of cracked ribs, and a lot of bruises, but nothing had been broken. The egg on the back of his head and induced unconsciousness, and had resulted in a light concussion. He would have to remain in observation for a while. 

"I…sorry," he whispered to April. He held out Ariana's necklace. "Couldn't…protect her…" his cracked ribs protested his speech, and he winced with each word.

"Don't speak," April choked through her tears, taking the necklace. "It wasn't your fault… Ari…they…took her?"

The boy just nodded, and winced when the egg at the back of his head stung. April took his hand. "I am grateful she had you with her," April said, voice thick with emotion. "I can't think of anyone I'd like more to be with her in those moments."

Yahiko just smiled faintly, and then dozed off into sleep, thanks to the painkillers. April finally looked at the necklace. Tears streaked down her cheeks as she uncovered her own Phalanx necklace. She took the Sagittarius necklace, and snapped it onto her own, so it looked as if the circled lightning bolt was covering the archer. 

April hung the combined necklace around her neck, and hid it. She sunk into a chair. Morimoto sat down in the second chair.

"I'm sorry, Morimoto-sensei," April suddenly said.

"What for?" Morimoto asked, confused.

"For dragging you into this. Now they … have Ari…and…and…Yahiko is…" She broke down, crying. Morimoto got up, knelt to one knee next to her chair.

"We knew what was involved, April," Morimoto assured her. "Right from the start. Granted, I had hoped it would never happen, but it did."

April closed her eyes, and blew her nose. "I miss her, Sensei," she whispered. "I miss her so much… I'm so scared for her…"

"Can you find her?" Morimoto asked.

"Maybe…I don't know, Sensei," the girl replied. "And even if I did? Then what? I…I can't fight! Fighting always hurts someone!"

Morimoto was silent for a few moment, and then said, "You have taken the non-violence of Ninjutsu to your heart, April. Yes, you shouldn't fight, because it always hurt someone. But, there is also a second rule." When April looked up at him, confused, he continued, "If you must fight, make sure you win."

April smiling for a moment, before the eternal sadness replaced it once again. Morimoto placed his hand over hers. "Some people never learn, April. They only understand violence. Their hearts can't be reached by kindness, only by pain, and misery."

"You…wish for me to fight, Sensei?" April asked. 

Morimoto shook his head. "That is a decision that is yours. I am merely pointing out your options. If you fought for anybody but yourself or Ari, you would lose, because your heart would not be in it."

"I…I need time to think…" April whispered.

"I will remain here," Morimoto said. "With Yahiko. He needs me more."

"Of course, Sensei," April replied, getting up, and bowing to the man. He returned the bow as soon as he had gotten up. "Call Carol when you need a lift… I will be needing someone to talk to."

"Of course," Morimoto replied, seeing a very dejected girl leaving the room. Sighing, he sat down next to his pupil's bed. "And you, young man, you will get better."

Fifteen minutes later, April was sitting on _their_ cliff. Her eyes were closed.

The Amazon Priestess stared sadly at the sensor-screen. "I miss her so much," the avatar whispered into empty air. She realized something. _You never know what you have until you lose it._ "I miss Ari…" Eric's voice filled the air of the temple. _My wife is the most important person in the world to me. I would kill for her safety, without hesitation, without remorse._

"Would I…kill for Ari?" Mind-April asked herself. "_Could_ I kill for her?" the avatar's face hardened. "They took her. _Hurt_ her. Can I just let that happen?" her face fell. "I can't do it! I'm not a violent person!"

Mind-April stared at the sensor-screen once again. _They run us out of our home, and we run. They make us leave our friends, and we run. They drive us out of our country, and RUN! And now they split us up! What kind if a friend am I?_ Mind-April thought, sinking to her hands and knees, crying and sobbing like a little girl. The avatar didn't even notice the proud antlers she had been wearing falling on the ground.

Mind-April's hands hit the floor, making the entire temple shake. "I am a miserable friend! I can't even bring myself up to the moral courage to go and fight to free her!"

She sat back up on her knees, and stared at the screen. A scowl entered her face, and April gritted hr teeth. "No more," she whispered. "This time, they have gone too far!" she yelled, getting up. "Ari! I _will_ free you! I promise!" 

"And I can help," a voice suddenly sounded. Mind-April shot up, looking around frantically. Her gaze stopped on a butch-looking version of herself. This butch April had clearly pronounced muscles, cold, piercing blue eyes, and was dressed in black fatigues. "Call me Might."

"Who…_what _are you?" April asked the figure, looking confused at the butch version of herself. "I don't remember creating a mental program called 'Might'."

Might chuckled. "That's because you didn't create me consciously. I am what you repressed: your genetic memories, the instincts to fight. You repressed those urges and instincts, which were dominant in your genome. Normally, this would lead to insanity. In your case, they lead to something else… a split personality. I am the fighting part of you, and I can help you get Ari back."

"How?" Mind-April asked curtly.

"I will teach you what you need to know about your genetic memories. You will know how your body reacts, and how to use those reactions. But first, I want to give you something." she erected herself to her full height, and spread her arms. "This is the next stage of mental control! _Full_ control over your conscious and subconscious mind!" the temple disappeared, and the two girls found themselves in a totally black _space_ of some kind. 

Might sat down in a comfortable chair that just stood there, seemingly floating in mid-air… or standing on a floor just as black as the surrounding air was. How they could see was beyond April. "This is something I call the Special Applications Command Establishment, or space for short."

"Impressive," Mind-April allowed, looking around the black void.

Might chuckled. "You ain't seen nothing yet, Commander," she stated, and started opening diagrams and screens. A sensor screen popped up, showing every visual angel possible from her body. Three-hundred sixty degrees in all directions, flat on the screen. After a few moments, the screen began to make sense to April, a fact which startled her.

The next to show up where three indicators. "Mental energy, physical energy, and endurance," Might explained. Next to come was a psycho-control window. Some other screens popped, which Might told April were conscious and subconscious programs, a sort of programmable instinct. Then came a green wire-frame of her body, mimicking her body's lotus position. April smiled. She preferred a wire-frame over a realistic model… since a realistic model would show her status, be it bruised, battered, and bloodied, it would distract her too much. Red lights on a wire-frame wouldn't, while still giving the information required.

"And now… Allow me to teach you," Might said, standing up, and approaching April.

April's eyes blinked open. She stood up, her face neutral. Then, anger replaced the neutrality. "Zodiac! I can never forgive you for what you did! I will make you _pay_ for what you've done!" her mid-back chestnut hair braided itself, then tied itself around her head, so it would be out of the way.

She lifted into the air, and floated over to the house. Thirty seconds later, she emerged with the large chunk of quartz crystal she and Ariana had once found in the mountains. She floated over to the small pavilion Morimoto used as a work-area. She was sure to find what she needed there. 

"First, let's see how useful you are," she told the crystal, and focused a probing-psychokinetic beam at it. The crystal started spinning. Mind-April looked at a diagraph screen, showing every little nook and cranny inside the crystal, as well as on its surface. The crystal was, for the lack of a better term, absolutely perfect. April couldn't detect a single fault. 

An outline of what April had in mind overlaid itself on top of the crystal diagraph. She duplicated it. "Good. I can make two… Now Ari will have one, too."

Mind-April started by splitting the crystal in tow equal chunks, one for each of them. She took her part, and started chipping. The crystal spun in the air, bits and pieces of quartz flying off it in different directions. After five minutes, the spinning stopped, and April smiled at her handiwork, a rod of crystal, with a small expulsion along the outer edge, at the height of the middle of the rod. "Good," she muttered. "Absolutely perfect."

April then looked around, to see if she could find the materials she needed. She smiled slightly when she found a length of chrome pipe Morimoto had used to fix the water-drain with. Taking the piece, she measured it using her psychokinetic powers, before cutting off two lengths of it.

She took a deep breath. "This will hurt," she muttered. Her eyes hardened. "And I don't give a damn," she added. The two pieces of pip started floating above her hands, and then started spinning, picking up speed at astonishing rates. The shiny metal pipes started glowing red as April's psychokinetic powers heated them. Sweat pearled on her face. Screaming, her psychokinetic powers tore into the pipes, squeezing them around the crystal rod, leaving the center-expulsion clear. 

Finally, April dropped the metal-crystal construction, her breath ragged. Mind-April took a good look at the energy read-outs. Her mental energy had depleted to the point where physical energy was channeled into her mind. The endurance readout had dropped, trying to regenerate her mind and body, both readouts climbing steadily back towards maximum. Endurance regenerated as well, but that one didn't reach maximum any more. 

"Total reserves, huh?" Mind-April muttered while looking at endurance. She shrugged.

In the real world, the red-glowing metal had cooled down, and April picked up the shiny metal sheets wrapped around the crystal rod. Her fingers touched the exposed crystal rim, and she felt her psychokinetic connect to it. Channeling some power into it, April smiled at the result. "Perfect," she whispered. "Now, the finishing touches…"

Ten minutes later, April, sunk behind Carol's wheel, dressed in the combat-gi. The mask and hood had been thrown back. She pressed her thumb to the center compartment, which obediently slid open. April took one of the 'fountain pens'.

"Can you help me with this?" she asked the AI.

"Hon…you don't want to do that… it might _kill_ you," Carol whispered in reply. Cold eyes focused on the screen, and Carol had to bite back a shudder. This in no way even resembled _anything _she had ever seen before on April.

"I need your help getting Ari back," April replied. "This will help me. I trust you. People who create monsters like me can create an interface to go with her, too."

Carol swallowed a simulated ump down her simulated throat. "I can help you with it, Hon," Carol replied, showing a diagram. It was April's head, shown form the side. April took the fountain pen, and pressed the business end to the base of her skull. The diagram on Carol's monitor showed that she need to go lower, and more to the left. April followed directions for a few seconds, before the pen on the display lit of green. April pressed the button.

Immediately, it felt as if she had shoved a red-hot iron poker through her skull and into her brain. _Oh, great! It's gonna kill me!_ April's mind shouted. He next moment, blurred vision returned through the red haze, and she could faintly hear Carol say, "Are you okay?"

"Fine," April slurred, sitting up straight. She blinked a couple of times, and her vision cleared. 

_Can you hear me?_ April heard carol's voice in her head. 

_Just fine,_ April thought back to that part of her brain that was connected to Carol. She didn't know how this was possible, but she knew _exactly_ how to handle the implant. 

"Good," Carol answered. "You scared me for a moment, Hon. Your heart rate went to two-fifty, and you stopped breathing at the same time. And I didn't like the brain-graphs I was receiving, either."

"It hurt like fucking hell," April replied. She accessed the implant. Her _cybernetic_ lobe, in the form of Carol, came to life. Her mind went over the receptors linked to Ariana's micro-machines. She started learning, her infinite adaptable organic mind linked to the precision of an artificial mind. She and Carol worked together as a team. Within five minutes, April knew where Ariana was being kept, the conjunction of biology and technology wielding tremendous results. 

She no longer held on to the wheel, her mind driving by 'remote', so to speak. 

Ariana was on the floor of the abandoned factory, somewhere in Japan. She had no idea where she was. Her shot left arm was burning, as was her shot right leg. She was sitting on the floor, her arms tied behind her, around a metal I-beam support post. The room she was in was empty, stripped of machinery some time go. There were four men in the room with her, three soldiers and the man called 'Oversight'. 

"So, Ariana…we meet again," 'Oversight said, chuckling. "I must confess, you gave us quite a run for our money. What you see here are the last remnants of Zodiac… everyone else who knew about the project was killed. Because you exposed us." He knelt down next to her. Still friendly, he continued, "You know, that really wasn't nice. Why did you do that? We could have been such good friends… think of all the things you could have done if we had only shown you that you could do them!"

Ariana managed to look at him. She amassed what little spit she had, and spat it in his face. "Fuck…off…" she croaked. "April…doesn't fight. She…won't come…Smart. April…Smart."

'Oversight' chuckled. "Believe me, she'll come. You have loyalty towards her. She has loyalty towards you. She would sacrifice you for the good of the mission, yes. But this isn't a mission, and you are too valuable to her… being the only one who is like her."

Ariana groaned, and let her head hang. Thanks to some rat-DNA, her wounds had closed, but they still hurt. A rat had amazing regenerative capabilities… as well as resilience no nuclear radiation. Ariana was grateful for the common rat… and its healing abilities. 

"Don't let her out of your sights," 'Oversight' told the soldiers as he stood up, rubbing the spit off his face. "She's a nasty little bitch. Just ask the guys she tackled with."

"Don't worry, sir. We saw what she did to five of our friends," one of the soldiers spoke. Ariana recognized him as the one who had first opened fire on her.

_Asshole. Use an M-16 rifle against an unarmed girl,_ Ariana thought to him. _Bastard. I should rip off your head and piss down your neck._

As 'Oversight' turned to leave, the brick walls of the building started trembling. The next moment, a hole the size of a large man was blasted into the sidewall, and April _floated _in. She landed not far into the room. 'Oversight' turned, and smiled. "Shoot the injured bitch," he ordered. 

The soldier didn't hesitate. He had already been aiming at Ariana. He pressed the trigger, and Ariana closed her eyes at the _clap_ of the shot. Then, her mind realized something: she had heard the shot. _When you hear the shot, you are still alive. Since a bullet travels faster than sound, it will hit you before the sound does. If you hear the sound, you are alive._

Ariana opened her yes, and saw something that made her blood run cold. April was standing, next to the line of fire, both her hands extended, as if swatting a fly. She had caught the bullet by pressing one hand on it from below, and one from above. 

In neural space, April was looking at the graph that sowed her body's wire-frame. All hr chest muscles, and all her arm muscles were showing red. Her physical energy had dropped by fifty percent. So had her mental energy. 

In real space, a single drop of blood made it way through April's middle finger and her ring finger from the bottom hand. The tiny red drop dangled from the hand for a few moment, before dropping.

Mind-April followed it, almost with disinterest. 

It hit the floor. 

To Mind-April, that _drip_ sounded like a medieval cannon going off. She opened her hands, letting the bullet drop to the floor. Both her palms were bloodied and blistered from stopping the searing hot supersonic bullet. She balled her fists. 

'Oversight's' eyes went wide. "How…how did you do that?" he stammered. He looked around. All the other soldiers were frozen in shock as well. 

April grunted through her closed mouth, her face displaying an anger Ariana had only rarely seen on her friend's face. April's body glowed in an amber light, and Ariana felt pressure rise in the air, almost as if a plane was taking off. She felt a gentle shudder go through the ground. 

"More anger!" Mind-April shouted at the emotional read-outs.

April crouched, her closed-mouth growl of anger morphing into a groan through clenched, and bared, teeth. All the windows in the factory blasted outwards, and the air-pressure released. However, the glow intensified, growing into yellow, and the ground was starting to quake. April opened her mouth, the groan becoming a yell. 

The concrete floor _exploded_ around April, cloaking the girl in a cloud of concrete-dust, and filling the air of the room with the smell of burned concrete. Cracks radiated out from April's location, cracks that grew wider as the artificial earthquake picked up. Her anger-filled voice filled the air, and Ariana was sure that everyone in a wide radius could hear her screaming.

The scream became a howl, and inside her protective cloak, April sunk to her knees, pressing her hands to her head. It felt as if a thermo-nuclear explosion went off behind her eyes. Never before had she attempted anything remotely like this.

The men all took a step back when beam of white-hot energy lashed out from the cloud, to the skies. The heavy roof was sliced as if it weren't even there. 

'Oversight' stumbled further back. "What have I done…" he whispered. "Dear God…what have I done?"

Then, the beams stopped. The cloud dissipated in a wind that hadn't been there moment before. April emerged, and even Ariana's jaw hit the ground. The other soldiers stepped back, shrinking back in utter fear. 

April's braided hair had detached itself, and was now standing erect on top of her head, colored a bright gold instead of the gentle chestnut. April's eyebrows had also shifted color into gold, but that wasn't the biggest change. 

April was now dressed in a bright red _glowing _combat-armor, reaching from the tips of her fingers to her middle. She was also wearing a red armored combat-skirt, which reached down to her knees. Form her knees down, she was wearing red combat boots. At April's hip, a sheathed sword was visible, its cross guard seemingly 'bitten' down on the sheath. 

But that wasn't the biggest change either. April was now engulfed in a brig golden aura, reaching higher than her hair. In the aura, electrical-blue spark shot like tiny protuberances from her body, making energy noises as they did so. The aura 'waved', as if on a wind, and it too, made energy noises, albeit of a different nature. 

April's arms were crossed. A pair eerily _dangerous_ turquoise eyes stared out at 'Oversight'. She looked every bit like the supped-up, pissed off, genetically engineered fighting bitch from _hell _she was designed to be. 

_I always knew she had more power! _ Ariana's mind shouted. _She didn't want to believe me, but now she won't have any other chance but to!_

"You stole our lives, our friends, and our home. Now you tried to steal my soulmate. For this, I can never forgive you. I will make you all pay for what you did," April said, her voice resonating through the damaged factory, as if it came form everywhere and nowhere at the same time. 

A fourth soldier, who had heard the noise from the gunshots and April's transformation, burst into the room. He seized up the situation, and assumed April was playing tricks. He aimed, and fired. 

April never bothered to look to her right. She swept her right hand. The bullet clattered against a support beam. _I am not going to make the mistake of trying to stop those things ever again,_ April thought to herself.

She stretched out her hand. "It is considered rude to interrupt someone when she is talking," April lectured. The man lifted into the air, his head disfiguring, as if a huge hand was lifting him by it. "Die."

The man's head exploded. She headless corpse fell unceremoniously to the ground, and April returned her arm to her chest, where it crossed with her left arm once again. 

"Don't just stand there!" 'Oversight' shouted, the death of one of his men returning his presence of mind. "Get her!" 

The soldiers snapped out of their stupor, and leveled their guns with April. "Fools!" she shouted. Her hand reached for the sword. The cross-guard opened its lock on the sheath. A broadsword-blade appeared, glowing in the most eerily intense white light Ariana had ever seen. 

_A psychokinetic blade!_ Ariana realized. _So much energy that it actually becomes visible! That thing can cut anything, as long as it has energy!_

April wasted no more time. She flew towards the soldier that had tried to shoot Ariana, and drove her sword through the base of his head, up into his brain, and out through the top of his skull. Blood, gray matter and chips of bone were sent flying, and the man just gurgled a little as life left his body. April withdrew the blade cross-wise, ripping it out through the side of his head. She flew to the second soldier, flashed past him, and made a ninety-degree turn. The blade left her fingers, tumbling along its width towards the third soldier. First the tip was in his direction. Then the handle, and then the tip again. The sword stabilized itself, and the tip entered the guy's throat. The cross-guard caught him, pulled him backwards, and pinned him to an I-beam support. She opened her hand. The blade disappeared, only to reappear in her hand.

The three corpses hit the ground, virtually at the same time. April turned around, to face 'Oversight'.

April sheathed her sword. 

"Almost out of energy. Good thing that's the last one," Mind-April grunted, looking at her statistics. She looked at Ariana, and walked over to her. "Damn it!" Mind-April shouted, "I can't help her!" she shouted desperately, her outer body not giving a single indication as to her true emotions.

"But I can," A robed April figure muttered, appearing out of nowhere. 

"Who are _you?_" Mind-April shouted. 

The figure shook her head. "I can't tell you. I am the part of you that you have never used before. It is dangerous to experiment with my abilities on your own. All I can say is this: Go to a place called Hogwarts. It is a school, and there you will learn how to handle me. Now, let me heal Ari, and I'll be off."

Mind-April motioned for the screen. "By all means, go ahead."

The mysterious robed girl took command. In the real world, April's scowl hadn't left her features yet. She stretched out her hand towards Ariana, and said, "Curatio et Medicor." _Heal and live._

Immediately, Ariana's eyes opened completely, and her wounds disappeared. Her energy was still as good as gone, but at least her body was back in one piece. 

Mind-April cursed all the gods in the universe. The mysterious figure had left, but had left April with about zero energy. That healing had taken a lot of power. Thankfully, the entire exchange with the robed figure and the healing had only taken five seconds.

April turned to 'Oversight', trying very hard to conceal her accelerated breathing and the sweat that pearled on her skin.

"Ho…how did you do that?" he stammered. He shook his head a single time, clearing the cobwebs. "Doesn't matter. Luke, get her!" 

Luke turned out to be a soldier, dressed in what appeared to be some kind of metallic skin-tight suit. "Meet Luke, April. He is the top of technological power, the prototype X-5 cyber-bionic enhancement suit."

April reached for her psychokinetic sword. _No… I don't have the energy to sustain it. I barely have the energy to maintain the Super-program._ Mind-April's hands flashed from left to right, 'drawing' patterns in the black sky. "Convert body fat to energy," she told the interface. Her 'endurance' went up, and her body and mind started to regenerate slowly.. 

"Time for secret weapon number one," April said, reaching to her back, and pulling out the chrome-crystal rod. Grabbing it like a sword handle with both her hands, she focused a weak psychokinetic energy beam on the crystal. A beam of white energy lashed out form it, creating a sword-like appearance. 

Luke smiled. He charged. Fast. _Faster_ than her. April had no other choice but to fly backwards, blocking Luke's punches and his kicks with every fiber of her speed and strength. _I need more speed! And more strength! He's fresh! I'm not!_

Mind-April snarled. "Convert muscle mass into energy!" she shouted. Her engineered muscles had more energy than her now gone fat-reserves had held, and as such, her endurance shot up, and her mind and body regenerated almost as fast as if April had been fresh. It had a downside, though… It was highly dangerous to the body. April started to retaliate.

She punched at his face. Luke ducked, grabbed her arm, pulled her over him, and slammed her into the floor. The energy blade collapsed, and the handle skidded over the cracked concrete floor. April groaned as pain shot through her body. The Super-program had deactivated. 

Luke jumped up, intending to land on top of her. She rolled aside, lifted into the air while rolling, grabbed the handle, and righted herself. April landed on her feet, her face bruised, and some blood dripping from a cut. Her brown hair had settled on her back, her eyebrows had changed back to normal, and the aura had dissipated. 

April was back to normal. Luke charged, howling like a madman. April activated the energy blade, and charged. She ducked under a horizontal swing by his right hand, dodged a vertical hit by his left, and slashed as him with the energy rod. Luke jumped backwards, avoiding the hit. 

"How can he be that fast?" she grunted, now no longer bothering to hide her panting. 

"Simple, my dear," 'Oversight' said, chuckling. "Technology always beat biology. Too bad we only finished this prototype. We could have created these suits for the entire army… but no! They had to shut us down, and blow up all our research!"

Luke shrugged. "Because once you put on the suit, you can't take it off," he answered 'Oversight's' question. 

"Fine," April grunted. "Secret weapon, number two." The solid energy beam became flaccid, and grew in length until it was abut the length of a bullwhip. She started lashing it at Luke, whose eyes had grown wide, and barely had the time to duck.

Bit by bit, he managed to come closer. Suddenly, he materialized a pistol from somewhere. April's eyes went wide. The shot went off. By pure instinct, she dropped the energy whip, and flashed the bullet out of the way. Unfortunately, this was just what Luke had wanted. He pushed off, chipping the concrete floor as he did so, and launched towards her. 

His punches landed fast and hard, and April only registered pain. Her arms were up, trying to defend her face from his vicious punches, her right hand was still holding on to the deactivated handle. 

_I need to fight back! He's faster, and stronger! I need to use my assets! I am a girl, which means lithe and agility! I need to use my agility, and my brains!_ April grabbed one of his arms, and guided him into an I-beam support, face-first. He wasn't even stunned, and charged again. April managed to start blocking again. 

She dropped to her heel, grabbed his feet, and pulled them out from under him. He went down, and she would land on top of him, full psychokinetic rage ready. He had rolled aside, and April slammed with her full power into the concrete floor, creating a crater that rivaled the earlier crater in size. 

Luke was on top of her in no time, holding her from behind, pinning her arms to her side. April growled and snarled, trying to break free. His grip was too strong. She pulled herself up in his grip, and crashed with both her feet onto his, hoping that pain would get him to release her. His grip wavered, and April used that moment to managed a break-out.

She rolled over the floor, and jumped up. Her beautiful body looked the worst it had ever seen before: her face was bruised, battered, and cut, her ninja-gi was torn, and cuts showed through it. 

"More energy!" Mind-April shouted. More muscles were burned, and converted into energy to feed her mind. Mind-April knew she would fight to the death. Ari was in no condition to fight. It was her duty to protect her. 

April growled, activated the energy blade in the first setting, and charged. Thanks to the energy boost, her attacks were faster and more ferocious than they had been moments before, and they caught Luke off-guard. He stumbled back, trying to dodge the high-speed sword attacks. 

He howled in pain when his right hand was severed from his arm, and sparks flew out of the cyber-bionic suit, coupled to blood from his human body. Luke jumped up, and plant his two feet in April's chest. The girl was catapulted back against the wall, and fell forward, to her hands and knees. She wrested herself to her feet, taking the handle with her. 

Luke stared at the stump on his right arm. The wound had closed, stopping the flow of blood. He looked at his hand, lying uselessly on the floor not far away.

"You _bitch_!" Luke shouted, and the word was laced with more venom than April had ever heard someone put in a single word. He charged. _Faster_ than before, his adrenaline enhancing the bionic suit's speed. 

He kicked at her face with his left foot, a kick she blocked. She had not seen his left hand, however, and it planted itself in her stomach. She doubled over, and Luke kicked her with his right foot. April spun around like a rag doll, and Luke grabbed her from behind, his left hand linking to the stump on his right arm. This tome, he would _crush_ her! 

April felt the breath being forced out of her body. She activated the energy blade in a desperate attempt. The blade was facing forward. It was useless in her paralyzed arms, pinned to hr sides. All she could use were her hands. 

"Secret…three," April grunted. On the bottom of the handle, a cap flew off, and a second blade appeared. At the angle with which she had been holding the handle, the reversed blade penetrated Luke's body through the liver and stomach, as well as through his spine. His grip tightened only for a second, before it slipped. April spun around, the forward blade slantwise halving his body, from the right shoulder to the bottom right of his torso. Luke stared at her, flabbergasted, for only two seconds. Then, his body started sliding apart, and the two pieces fell to the ground.

"Thank you, George Lucas," April said, deactivating the two beams. She took the bottom cap, and put it back on her handle. She clipped it to her belt, and walked to 'Oversight', who cowered in a corner. _Reges eos in virga ferrea tamquam vas figuli confringes eos,_ April thought. _Thou shalt rule them with a rod of iron, and shalt break them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Psalm 2, verse 9. Only, in this case, it's chrome and psychokinetic power instead of iron. _

Her hand reached out grabbed him by the top of his head, pulling him to his knees. "Are these the last?" she asked. 'Oversight' screamed. 

**"TELL ME!"** April barked. **"Don't make it harder on yourself!"**

"Nuh…nuh…" 'Oversight' grunted. 

April grinned, and slammed into him with every bit of mental energy she had left. Every neural connection in his brain became supercharged, and for a moment, April could _read_ everything in it. These were the last soldiers… Zodiac had indeed been destroyed. Then, the brain just couldn't cope anymore. The neurons literally vaporized. All functions stopped, including antonymous functions like the heartbeat. 'Oversight' died from massive and total brain failure.

April turned to look at Ariana. "Safe now…" April whispered, her voice straining to be audible. All energy was gone. The world turned dark on April with such speed that she never even heard Ariana's startled cry.

Ariana opened her eyes. Immediately awake, she sat up, and looked around the room she shared with April. It had been two days since April had taken care of the last of the Zodiac forces. She had slept for thirty-six hours before finally waking up. Ariana sighed as she remembered the toll it had taken on her friend… she had lost fifteen kilos of body weight, all of it converted into energy. Yesterday, after finally waking, April had don't little more but eat. She had eaten like it was her last day on Earth, and than had fallen back asleep, her body and mind totally exhausted.

Ariana noticed the bed next to hrs was empty. Throwing her legs out of bed, Ariana started to get up when her eyes caught something. April's circled lighting bolt-necklace, as well as a little package. The girl grabbed the necklace and the package. Immediately afterwards, she jumped up. _Oh, no…Don't do anything stupid, April!_

Ariana, still dressed solely in T-shirt and a pair of panties, ran to the back yard, where she found her friend.

April was standing on the edge of the cliff, her eyes not looking at anything, tears flowing down her cheeks. Ariana let out her breath. She was still in time.

"April…" Ariana whispered, walking to her friend.

"Stay back," April whispered, not bothering to turn around. "Please…leave me alone. Let me die. I deserve it."

"But…you _can't_!" Ariana shouted, freezing where she was. She wasn't about to let April do this.

April snorted, and looked at the sky. "I killed six people. I blew up one person's head with my mind, killed three with my mental blade, one with my crystal-blade, and raped the last person's mind before killing him by blowing every neural connection in his head. I'm a monster."

Ariana took a step closer, and halted when April Took a warning stance, almost looking over her shoulder at Ariana. "April… you fought…for me…for us. For our safety, for our survival, and for the survival of Morimoto-sensei and Yahiko-kun. Even if we had ran, they would have grabbed Morimoto-sensei and Yahiko to get at us. Zodiac kidnaps someone's wife to force him to work for them. They would do it, and you know it… you saved us all, April!"

"And killed six people in the process."

Ariana took another step. "So? Everyone in that room had killed before. They were all monsters. You don't think there was a single innocent in that room, did you? What you did was execute the punishment those men…those _monsters_ would have gotten if the law had been able to touch them."

April sighed. "Who gave me the right to play judge, jury, and executioner?" she asked quietly. "I am a murderer. I killed in cold blood, and didn't even care at the moment. I just wanted you… safe. I knew…I couldn't go on without you. So, I got you out. And made the most terrible mistakes of my entire life time."

Ariana took another careful step closer. She had neared her friend almost to within touching distance. "And I would have done the same for you! _Everybody_ is capable of taking a life when pushed hard enough. April… Sister… You were pushed more and harder than any person would hope to stand up to. Yet, you did. You refused to fight. You refused violence. You learned the way of the ninja to balance yourself. And you did! You achieved balance!"

April whirled around. "_Balance?_" she screamed. "I am a god-forsaken cold-blooded mass-murderer! I Kill six people in less than an hour, and I didn't feel shit about it at the time! They were animals, to be put down for hurting the one person I care more about than my own life! And I paid for her safety… with my soul." April turned back towards the cliff. "I'll do what I need to do, and hope that I may still be forgiven…"

Ariana jumped, grabbed April. "I won't let you go," she said. "If you want to go, you will take me with you. There is no way I will remain behind by myself!"

April tightened her muscles against Ariana's grip, but she knew it was no use. Her body was far from healed, and she was as weak as a new-born kitten. There was no way she would be able to shake off her friend. "Why?" she begged, sniffing. "Why would you do that? You… you haven't killed…"

Ariana tightened her grip, careful as not to hurt her friend. She put her head on April's shoulder. "Because, if it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't be here today. You kept me sane, and you kept me from being in the same position as you are in now. I would have killed if you hadn't been there to remind me why _not_ to kill. I would have used the credit cards Carol has, and I wouldn't have hesitated to use my mind and body to get what I needed… you are my anchor, April. You keep me from doing something stupid."

April snorted dryly. "And instead, I go off the deep end the moment you aren't there. I even shot Carol's neural link-up in my brain, did you know that? I am a cyborg… her computers form a cybernetic lobe in my brain, when I want them to be that. Right now, I've closed it off completely…"

"No, I didn't know that," Ariana answered. "Carol respected your privacy… she didn't tell much of what happened, only that you acted like a pure-bred soldier, and you knew exactly what you wanted, and how to _get_ what you wanted."

"Thanks to Might," April whispered, relaxing in Ariana's hold, letting herself hang in her friend's strong grip. 

"Might?" Ariana asked. "You let an avatar run the show?"

April shook her head. "Might was a split personality. By repressing my instincts and urges to fight, I went close to insanity…those instincts were dominant in my genome. But, instead of going totally over the edge, I created a subconscious second personality. Might became the repository of my genetic knowledge, my instincts, and my combat abilities. When…when you…were…kidnapped…"

"Sh," Ariana consoled her friend. "Don't tell if it hurts too much."

Aril shook her head. "I needed strength. I told myself I would get you back, because you were the single most important thing in my life. And…Might appeared. She told gave me the space, and then she combined with me. I became the soldier. The pissed-off super-genetic soldier."

"The space?" Ariana asked.

"Special Applications Command Establishment. It's the next step up from the mind-space temple," April answered. "It's a horrible place. Great power, and great potential. But scary and disastrous on the body when you go overboard."

"Like you did," Ariana supplied.

April nodded. "Like I did. I started burning fat-reserves for energy… but we don't have much fat on our bodies. So…I started burning muscle. Smaller cells, with higher energy capacity. I came very close to killing myself. I should have just done so… it would have been easier."

Ariana tightened her grip on her friend. "It wouldn't have been easier," she assured her friend. "And there is no reason for you to die!" she shouted, somewhat releasing the hug so she could stare directly into her friend's sad, blue eyes. Eyes that radiated so much pain, and grief, and conscious-problems that it made Ariana's heart ache.

"Ari…please… let me go," April whispered. "I can't go on… I have no _reason_ to go on… you are safe… Zodiac's dead. I blasted 'Oversight's' mind. I know they were the last. Zodiac got cancelled… you're free…safe…"

Ariana grabbed April. "No reason? And what about me? I can't go on without you either, April! I love you! You are all I have! All I ever had, and needed, was you!"

"I love you too, Ari," April whispered sadly, hugging her friend. "How could you love me? I'm a monster… a murderer… and I'm not even the April you knew anymore. I have a mind that's been shot with a neural connection! I'm a bigger freak than before!"

Ariana tilted her friend's head, so their eyes met and their faces were very close together. "I…love…you," Ariana answered. "I know that… ever since Zodiac kidnapped me, all I could think about was you. If you were safe, and I prayed that you were. I begged God to keep you safe, April!"

April closed her eyes, and wanted to bow her head, but Ariana's strong grip would let her. "Ever heard the expression 'you don't know you have something until you lost it'?" Ariana asked.

April smiled for only a fraction of a second. "That's what got me mad," April answered. "I didn't know how much… I cared for you until you were gone. I cursed myself for being weak, for not being able to go after you… and then I drew strength from that knowledge, a…and…Might came…"

"Know that it's the same for me, April. I couldn't live without you any more than you could without me," Ariana answered. April's eyes opened once again, and locked with Ariana's. Her face was still being held by the other girl. 

They moved closer. Electric contact was established as their lips met. For moments that seemed to fly by as if non-existent, the two girls remained in the embrace. April was the first to regain her wit. Her eyes opened widely, and she pulled back. 

"Ari…I…" she stammered. 

"Sh," Ariana answered, putting her finger on April's lips. The simple contact felt so nice that April actually closed her eyes. "I feel it, too…" Ariana answered.

April leaned forward, into Ariana's embrace, pressing her head against the other girl's shoulder. Trembling, she sobbed, "It hurts so much, Ari…I did such things…"

Ariana gentle rocked April back and forth as she cried. "We'll get through this together, April. I'm here, and I'm not leaving you." When April's energy gave way, and she subsequently collapsed, Ariana carried her beloved friend into the house, and put her in the bed. Ariana took the Phalanx necklace, and put it around April's neck. 

"Here. Put this back on, silly girl," Ariana whispered lovingly to her sleeping friend.

Morimoto walked up to April, who was sitting at the edge of the cliff. She had a thoughtful look on her face, but he was happy to note that it was no longer the look of self-damning sadness that had plagues her the first week after the big fight. April had begun to accept what she had done… and she had begun the process of forgiving herself.

"Good morning, April," Morimoto greeted his student.

"Good morning, Morimoto-sensei," she answered, looking up at him, and smiling slightly. The smile warmed his heart, yet another sign that April was improving.

"I hope you are feeling well?" he asked.

"Better, Morimoto-sensei, thank you. How is Yahiko?" she asked, still looking up at him.

"His wounds are healing. He is strong," Morimoto answered, not a little bit of proud seeping into his voice. 

"I am glad to hear that," April answered, turning to the nature-scene. "I was worried."

Morimoto sat down next to his pupil. Although he didn't do it as much as April and Ariana, Morimoto still enjoyed sitting on the cliff, looking out over the nature before him. "You worry a lot, April. Life can not always be predicted. We can only hope to live by what our hearts tell us, and never regret the decisions made. They can not be altered, and therefore, should not be regretted. Only learned from."

April dipped her head. "That is wise advice, Morimoto-sensei. Thank you."

"You are welcome," Morimoto answered. He saw his student's head look over her shoulder, and the loving smile that appeared on the beautiful face could only mean one thing: she had heard Ariana. He had noticed the connection between them growing tighter in the days following the fight with Zodiac. He looked around, and saw Ariana was walking towards them. 

"I will meet you for training this afternoon, then?" Morimoto asked as he got up. It wasn't as much a question as it was a request, but April still had the option of bailing out. She had used that option as little as possible, but there were some days she couldn't even bear to think about her body's capabilities. Certainly now that her body had almost regained its full capacities, and her strength and weight were almost back to normal. 

"Yes, Morimoto-sensei," April answered, bowing her head. He started walking off.

"Good morning, Ariana," he greeted the other girl as he walked past her. She bowed at him, and replied in kind, before resuming her route for April. As he closed the sliding door, the last thing he saw were two girls, standing at the edge of the cliff, holding each other's hands, staring at one another. 

"How are you feeling?" Ariana asked lovingly. 

"Better," April replied. "For the first time in a week-and-a-half, I've slept a full five hours. It's helped a lot… not to be waked every hour by nightmares, and stuff."

Ariana smiled gently. "I noticed that… you slept really peaceful. Like a baby. You looked so cute."

April blushed slightly, and looked away. "A cute murderer. You're nuts."

Ariana captured April's chin between her thumb and index finger. She turned the other girl's face towards hers. "You're forgetting something."

"Really?" April asked, confused. "What?"

"You're _my_ murderer," Ariana answered lovingly, kissing April on the lips.

April smiled slightly. "You're the only one who can call me the most horrific things, and still manage to make them sound like a compliment," she said, slipping into Ariana's embrace. 

"That's because you know the sentiments behind my words," Ariana answered. "You know I love you. You're my Kawaii, my cherished."

April smiled in Ariana's strong embrace. In a small voice, she answered, "Thank you." Ariana's grip tightening in reply.

"April?" Ariana asked. 

"O-oh," Ariana answered. "I do _not_ like the sound of that."

Ariana smiled. "I was wondering. The neural implant. How big a benefit is it?"

April closed her eyes, seemingly trying to order her thoughts. "Well… it's…difficult to explain. It's like having a computer inside your head. Carol can talk to you, and you to her, the same way we can when we're touching. And when you access the implant fully, it's like having a cybernetic lobe in your brain. You become an organic computer system… the adaptability and talent at improvisation of an organic mind, coupled to the infallible accuracy of a computer system."

Ariana whistled. "Impressive."

April nodded. "When it first activates, it downloads a user's manual into your mind. In a way, the implant teaches you how to use it, how to block it out, so Carol doesn't overhear everything you think and feel, and how to access it for specific information, or just for a chat with our Artificial Intelligence friend."

Ariana and April were silent for a few moments. Then, the question April hd thought would come, came. "Could you help me activate mine?"

April sighed. "Are you sure? It hurts terribly…"

Ariana nodded. "I'm sure."

"Okay," April replied. "In that case, I'll help you."

Ariana hugged April. "Thanks, Kawaii."

"No problem, My Love," April replied. The two girls walked to the white car, and climbed in. Ariana opened the compartment. 

"Are you sure, Hon?" Carol asked. "You _do_ understand that it's dangerous, right?"

"I'm sure you won't let anything happen to me, Carol," Ariana answered as she took the second pen. 

"Thanks," Carol muttered. "But there's nothing I can do about it. It's an injector. It shoots the thing into your brain. The implant then opens, and connects itself. It''s automated. I have nothing to do with it."

"I already tried to convince her, Carol. She won't listen," April answered. 

Carol showed the targeting window on her monitor. "Okay. I'm not your mother. Go ahead."

"Right there," April instructed, pressed the pen to Ariana's neck. The display turned green, and April pressed the button. 

The next moment, her brain exploded in pain equal to the time her implant first activated. Five seconds later, she opened her eyes, to look at a very scared-looking Carol.

"What in _hell_ happened?" the AI barked. April shrugged, and accessed her implant. She found it now had _two_ connections. One to Carol…and one to Ariana?

"Ari?" April whispered. 

"I feel it too," the other girl replied. "I can't believe it… the implants linked us to each _other _as well as to Carol?"

_No more touching to talk,_ April thought to her friend. 

_I like the touching part…_ Ariana answered back. In response, April's hand took hers. 

_As do I, My Love. As do I._

Pulling into mind-space, April and Ariana looked at each other, smiling. "I know it's hard," Ariana suddenly asked, serious-looking. "But…could you tell me what you did? I mean… you radiated sheer power. And then that sword…"

April took a deep breath, a tremor going through her body. Ariana had her arms around the girl in no time. "I'm sorry, April. I shouldn't have asked," she said. "I'm sorry…" 

April pulled away, and shook her head. "I need to face what I did, Ari, My Love. And with you by my side, I know I'll have support when I need it."

Ariana smiled gently, and pulled away. April took a deep breath. The temple walls fell away, and the darkness returned, along with the chair, and the screens. 

"Ariana, meet space, the Special Applications Command Establishment. I think you can figure out the screens…" April whispered, letting her friend and loved one take the center seat. 

"Yeah, I can," Arian answered, looking at the different screens. "Mental, physical and endurance reserves, physical status wire-frame, global vision sensor screen, programs for the conscious and subconscious? And an emotional display… that's how you go you raving mad?" She asked. April nodded at both questions. 

"Now, as to what I did… it was simple. Here," April said, pulling up a program that had been labeled 'Super'. 

Ariana scanned through it. "You _simulated_ it all? It was all an illusion, created by your psychokinetic powers? None of it was real?" she shouted.

April shook her head. "Nope. In fact, it was more of a nuisance than a help, thanks to my inexperience, I made the mistake of blowing my power on psych warfare. I scared the shit out of them before killing them…" April swallowed at the words, then continued. "I should have just killed them."

Ariana remained silent for a few moment, giving her friend the chance to recuperate. "And the sword?" she asked gently.

"I used two… the first was just that… an illusion to create the handle and cross guard. The blade itself was sheer psychokinetic power. I pushed as much in it as I could. Another waste of energy… And then, the Crystal Blade."

"Crystal Blade?" Ariana asked. 

"Remember that big chunk of quartz we found?" April asked. A look of recognition passed over Ariana's face. "Here. Take a look at this," April answered, pulling up the designs to the Crystal Blade to the global vision sensor screen. 

Ariana whistled in appreciation. "So, how does it handle?"

"Like a dream," April answered. "I capped the bottom, to give the appearance that there is but one blade. In reality, the cap can be removed easily, as soon as the bearer focuses her awareness to tell the crystal to create a second blade."

"Impressive. It's sneaky, powerful, and look cool. I like it," Ariana answered. 

April chuckled. "I stole the idea from George Lucas. He created that double-bladed light saber in Star Wars. I couldn't help myself."

Ariana chuckled along with her friend. "I bet his won't stand a chance against this, even if such a light saber existed."

"Pure mental energy, tightly focused. As long as I have power, the blade can't be broken, and it'll cut anything," April replied. Ariana just nodded. 

The next morning, April didn't want to open her eyes. But, as was the usual with them, once done with sleeping, they were fully awake. And right now, her body was transmitting the most pleasurable feelings. The feeling of her being in Ariana's arms. April smiled, and opened her eyes. She stared into Ariana's wide-open blue eyes. 

"How long did you fake it?" Ariana asked.

"Hmm…" April answered. "Fifteen minutes. You?"

"Twenty," Ariana replied. "I like this."

"Ditto," April said, nesting herself deeper in the embrace. Ariana smiled, and accommodated her friend.

Ariana's mind reached out, and touched an object she had put ready over a week ago, but never had gotten the courage to ask, yet. Taking a deep breath, she got a grasp on the small box, and brought it over. 

"April?" Ariana asked, in a small voice.

"O-oh. Last time, I ended up with a link in my head," April joked, looking up at her friend. She saw the box, and now looked confused, rather than playful.

"Please don't make this harder," Ariana asked, her tone bordering on begging. "April… will you…" she stopped, took a deep breath. "Will you wear my phoenix pin?" she asked, opening the velvet box, displaying the gold-and-ruby phoenix pin. After tow years, those pins became permanent property, and were engraved with the wearer's initials. 

"Ari…I…" April whispered, taking the box in shaking hands. The phoenix pin meant more to a member of the phoenixes than any other sort of property. "On one condition," April answered, pulling something out of her nightstand, indicating she had put this something ready for just such an occasion.

"Anything," Arian answered. 

"Only if you'll wear mine," April answered, handing over her own box. "I wanted to ask you as well… just hadn't gotten the courage to, yet."

Arian accepted the box, tears glistening in her eyes. "It's a deal, Kawaii."

April put the box down, and hugged her friend, who returned the gesture just as readily. They pulled slightly apart. And kissed passionately. April's hands trailed down Ariana's cheeks, her neck, and her arms. Finally, April's hands rested on Ariana's hands, where they generated an electric contact.

Ariana held onto April's hands, as the kiss continued. Finally, they pulled apart. "I love you, April Fromthefield."

"And I love you too, Ariana smith," April replied, hugging her friend. "Forever."

"Yes," Ariana answered. "Forever." 

April took Ariana's pin, pulled up her gi, and pinned it to the right chest side of the jacket. Ariana smiled, pulled up her own gi, and repeated the process with April's pin.

The two girls hugged again. "Does this make us married?" April asked. 

Ariana chuckled. "Why not? Those pins mean more than any stupid ring ever could, Mrs. Smith."

"My, I do think you're right, Mrs. Fromthefield," April replied, smiling, and leaning in to kiss Ariana. 

Ariana laughed aloud. "Let's keep it to our normal names, okay, Kawaii? Being married doesn't necessarily mean you have to change your name…"

"Okay, My Love. Whatever you say," April replied, finally getting the kiss she wanted. 

""Hey, Love, look at what just came in the mail!" April said, enthusiastically dumping herself next to her wife. 

"What?" Ariana asked, curious. 

April cleared her throat, took the letter, keeping it away from Ariana's prying eyes, and read, "With great pleasure do I give you the news that you have been accepted to the Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please be at the King's Cross station, London, Gate 9 ¾ on the First of September…"

"Cool!" Ariana interrupted. "We got in? Even though we're older than the rest?"

April smiled. "I think our Institute records convinced them, Love. After all… We have more degrees than most people.."

"That means our time here is coming to an end…" Ariana replied. "Damn, I'm going to miss Morimoto-sensei, and Yahiko."

April nodded. "It's hard to leave home," she answered. "Very hard," she added, tears in her eyes, as she looked around the beautiful nature around her. "But," she said, sniffing away her tears, "We can always come back during the summer. It's a six-year course. We should be able to finish it in one year… I definitely want to come back here after we're done."

"The U.S. really crapped out, didn't it?" Ariana asked, smiling. "Don't worry, Kawaii. I don't want to go back there either. Too many bad memories. Not to mention a government with little respect for life."

April nodded solemnly. "Yeah. I think this is more 'home' than the U.S. ever was."

"Come on, don't be so glum! We still have a full month before we have to leave!" Ariana told her wife, smiling.

April returned the smile. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right, Love. Let's make the most of our month here."

The next couple of weeks were extremely peaceful, both Morimoto and Yahiko hiding the fact that they didn't like to see the girls leave, but respecting the choices they made. And Morimoto insisted that both girls were more than welcome to return at any time they wanted.

Finally, a couple of days before they were to leave, Morimoto had a special surprise planned.

"Accept these swords, and with them, accept the rank of Kunoichi, the female ninja-warrior," Morimoto said, extending two swords towards the girls, who were dressed in the ninja combat-uniform for the occasion. The ever-present phoenix pins were pinned in a hidden pocket, to keep the gold-and-ruby shine from attracting attention. The girls knew the pins were there. That was all that mattered. 

April and Ariana accepted the swords, and strapped them to their backs. Contrary to what most people think, the ninja sword is curved, just like a samurai's katana. It is smaller in size, so it's easier to sue in tight spaces, and doesn't get caught so often when carried on the back. Along with the swords, the girls were walking armories. Each was carrying five shuriken, a pair of nunchucks, and a pair of Shuko, as well as the swords. 

"Thank you, Morimoto-sensei," both girls said, bowing at the same time. "We will not disappoint you."

"I am sure you will not," Morimoto answered, returning the bow. "I wish you well."

"Thank you, Morimoto-sensei," they both replied. 

The last few days were slightly uncomfortable as everyone felt the day of departure loomed closer. April and Ariana made sure to spend as much time available with their friends. Finally, the day itself was there. 

"I wish you well," Morimoto said.

"May you return to us one day," Yahiko added.

"Thank you," April whispered, tears brimming her eyes. "Thank you both," she said, her voice sounding dangerously unsteady. 

"We will always think of our stay here with fondness," Ariana said. "And we will do our best to honor our teacher, as well as his teachings."

April slid behind the wheel of Carol. Ariana got in the passenger seat. "Good-bye," both said, poking their heads through the open windows one final time. Carol pulled away. The windows closed. Soon, their friends could no longer be seen. 

"We're really leaving, aren't we?" April whispered. 

"Unbelievable, isn't it?" Ariana asked.

"No kidding. I never thought I'd leave that place. It was so beautiful, and peaceful," April said.

Ariana took a deep breath. "We can only look forward, as Morimoto-sensei put it." 

April nodded. "Right. Hogwarts, here we come!"

The end

Top_Quark Note:  Thanks for reading.  Thanks for the reviews, also go and check out Enterprise's other stories, he plans to make his own continuity with these characters in the future.  I know some of my story is up on his site, but it hasn't been revised and I changed a lot of the stuff up.  All this is in my note that I previously posted. Thanks again


	7. part 2 a

Thanks to Grossclout for proofing this part.

DISCLAIMER: See first part.

SUMMARY: Xander enters his second phase of training, can he deal with the new world? Will he make friends that will help him in the future? What happens to Spike?

FeedBack: please, I like to know what you think!!

*****Night-time: a few hours after Buffy brought back Faith*****

Willow was about to close the Magic Box for the night and spend some much-needed downtime with Tara. At the same time, Buffy was in the back room, getting ready for her patrol. _Running this store can be really hard. __Giles left earlier, with some story about a date or something like that. Yeah right, he probably didn't want to clean up. _

"Did you say something Will?" asked Buffy as she walked up to the front of the store. "By the way I have to talk to you before I go patrolling tonight… unless you want to join me."

"As much as I would love to go against the forces of evil tonight, I can't. Tara and I have a date tonight." Willow blushed as she thought what the date would entail.

"Are you having naughty thoughts, Willow?" Buffy asked, laughing at her friend's discomfort. _I'm glad me and Wills are at talking again, I wonder what's been bothering her so much lately, Buffy added silently._

"Well, umm, you see," Willow turned even redder, if that were possible.

"Relax, Will. I was just teasing," Buffy said with a quick chuckle. "But I do need to talk to you. Can we sit down and talk for a few minutes?"

"Sure," Willow said, finishing the cleanup of the store, and they both moved to the desk in the back of the room. Willow sat and watched Buffy as she prepared herself.

Buffy didn't know how to start the conversation. _This is Willow! I can talk to her! "Things haven't been perfect since I've come back," the Slayer began. "I am here to apologize for being so distant. It was just so hard at first, being back and seeing everyone. At some points I didn't want to be back, just be dead and at rest, you know? I would like to think I was in heaven, but to tell you the truth I don't know where I was. All I draw is a big blank."_

Willow moved her chair next to Buffy's and took her best friends hand. "I am here for you Buffy. Just think about all we've been through. Adam, the Master, the Mayor… just to name a few. And you and me were there for each other. We always will be," Willow said, sniffing slightly, and Buffy could see a tear escaping Willow's eye.

"Yeah Will, I know… but there is some error to your logic…" Buffy whispered, just looking at Willow as if to _stare the answer into her._

"Xander," the name of the person that meant so much to both of them and had caused them so much pain recently. Silence passed through them for the next ten minutes, until Buffy finally decided to continue the conversation.

"I know without him… those times you talked about… could have not possibly have been livable. And… and he left us Will! He left me." Buffy's eyes teared up, and she fought to keep them inside.

"I know, but you have to know that he didn't leave you, Buffy. I don't think he left us, we still hold a place in his heart, but you don't know how hard it was for him. And with Anya leaving him like that…" Willow didn't know how things would turn out, but she promised herself she wouldn't push Xander away, not again.

"What? Where _is Anya? I thought she went with him?" A confused Buffy stared at Willow hoping her friend held answers._

Willow was shocked at Buffy's question. _But then again… all she's done lately is hang out with Faith, she thought bitterly. "Well to satisfy your curiosity, she left him after you died, something about not handling death and not wanting to stay in Sunnydale. He was so crushed, Buffy," Willow's anger was evident in the way she replied to Buffy's question. "Two of the most important people in his life left him! Do you think he would just be the same after that? His world was crushed!" Willow screamed at Buffy._

"I… I didn't know. That still doesn't excuse him for taking advantage of Faith," Buffy replied in a small voice.

"As if! Xander wouldn't take advantage of anyone! And ask yourself this question: are you mad that he took advantage of Faith or that he slept with her instead of you?" Willow had observed how hard Buffy took Xander's disappearance and figured there was more than friendship that Buffy was feeling.

 "You're wrong Will, dead wrong. I don't know what my feelings for him are but it is definitely not more than friendship… if even that anymore," she whispered.

"Yeah, keep trying to convince yourself about that Buffy, but you can't fool me," Willow presented her resolve face and waited for Buffy's response to that.

"That's beside the point. The reason I wanted to talk to you is about Faith," Buffy said coolly, trying to change the subject.

Willow made a disgusted face and stared into Buffy's eyes. "Fine, change the subject. But this isn't over Buffy. You can't dismiss him as only a convenience when he is around and then mock him when he is gone. Now, what has the skank done now?" Willow was not going to be nice about Faith. _I don't have to be nice to that bitch, and I never will be. She abused my best friend. Trying not to think about how Xander told her about his first time and how he felt after being thrown out of the room. She clearly remembered his words, "Maybe I am destined to be used and unloved." That had hurt her then, and it still did._

Not wanting to fight further with Willow, Buffy just got to the point. "Xander got her pregnant."

To say Willow was shocked would an understatement. She just sat there, her eyes glazed over, and her mouth wide open.

"Will," Buffy tried to snap her friend out her shock, but it didn't work. For the next five minutes Buffy tried everything she could think of to get Willow to respond, from shaking her to slapping her, but nothing worked.

Finally after Buffy started to panic, Willow snapped out of her shock, "Oh," was all she said. But what was going to her mind was totally different. _NO, NO, NOOOOOOOOOOOO! Why her!? She doesn't deserve him or __the baby!! That…that… bitch!! Willow's mind just kept on dragging up reasons why Faith was the worst kind of sewer-dredge humanity could produce._

"Yeah, and she's scared and doesn't know what to do… You know, this is all Xander's fault! If he just didn't think with his dick all the time," Buffy said angrily, her voice portraying just _what she thought of Xander._

"Buffy… I'm tired of defending him, and trying to talk to you. I have to go." Willow got up, took her purse and walked to the door. "Lock up," she commanded without turning around and walked out.

Buffy was shocked that Willow walked out, and tried to think of what went wrong with her conversation. She had just gone to Willow for advice… not to argue. 

_Well, she's tired of defending him. That's good. Trying to twist her friend's words, Buffy figured that Willow just needed time to digest how reckless Xander had been with Faith. __I've really gotten to know Faith. She's not all that bad. Her life hadn't been great, and I didn't understand that at first. Now I do, and I've got to try.'_

*****Few hours earlier at Hogsmeade, England*****

**(Magical village, located next to Hogwarts)**

The train had finally made it to its destination; the night sky was beautiful, full of stars, and a bright moon. Xander and Pumpkin stepped out of the carriage and the two girls April and Ariana followed directly behind them. Xander noticed that Pumpkin had a robe on to help with the cold night, but the girls didn't even seem phased by the temperature. He on the other hand was freezing. _Damn I knew a t-shirt wasn't a good idea._

He felt so out of place as he noticed all the students had their wizards' robes, and all he had on was a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. At least he wasn't the only one. April and Ariana had t-shirts on about some cartoon named Dragon Ball Z. He turned his head when he noticed a large gruff voice yell, "Firs' years! Over here, Firs' years!" A giant of a man, and giant was the only way to describe him; he was larger than Xander's 6 feet. The kind smile he provided made Xander at ease to be in the man's presence. "I guess since this is my first time here, I am first year." He turned to the two girls and noticed them approaching the giant man. _No way! They're first years like me! This is starting to get weird… and having lived on the Hellmouth, I know a thing or two about weird._

The giant man's big hairy face beamed over the sea of first years, "My name is Hagrid and I hope ye enjoy yer years at Hogwarts. C'mon follow me—any more firs' years? Follow me!"

The large group of first years that included Xander and the two girls he sat with earlier slowly walked through a steep, narrow path that went through a thick path of trees.

"Ye will be able to see o' Hogwarts in a sec," said the large man that led them through the path. As it came into view to say its beauty awed Xander would be an understatement. It was an extremely large castle, putting to shame any of the castles he had ever seen in movies about the middle ages. The path he noticed opened onto the edge of a great black lake, atop the high mountain on the other side the vast castle stood with its many turrets and towers.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of small boats. Xander, April and Ariana took a boat to themselves. Their larger frames would not let another person into the boat. Hagrid yelled out, "FORWARD!"

***

April and Ariana studied the boat and figured that it was magic that made it travel so smoothly across the lake. Then Hagrid yelled, "Heads down!" as they reached a cliff, they bent their heads and the boat went through a curtain of ivy into an opening. The dark tunnel they entered lead to a harbor underneath the castle.

They followed everyone out of the boats and waited for Hagrid to open the gate that led into the castle. April watched the young man that had accompanied them on the boat. He seemed nice on the train and it seemed that her and Ariana where not the only ones that where here as older first years. 

_What'd ya say about helping him? After all, he probably won't be able to keep up with us… not many people can. Ariana mentally sent to April._

_Of course we'll help him out, April replied with conviction.__ But I get a funny feeling when I look at him…Did you see his eyes? Something's haunting him. And there's something else… April's open eyes got a glossy shine which told Ariana all she needed to know. April was looking at Xander in mind-space__. Soon, April continued, __he's trying to put the pieces back together, just like us. Maybe, after a while… maybe he'll trust us enough, and we can help. _

Ariana simply sent a nod through the mind-space_ link. __Possibly. But we'll also need to learn to trust him… after all, our secrets…_

_I know, April replied simply, sadly._

As the door opened they noticed a tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes that had a very stern face. 

_I think I'll like her. Strict, yet fair, just like Mother Superior, Ariana commented to April._

_Yeah, April's mental voice showed the pain of leaving their first home still had on her. But she mentally chucked as she noticed the young man next her become ridged as he examined the woman. __I don't think he has the same thoughts as we do, Ari, she mentally chuckled to Ariana._

Ariana simply chuckled in response as she too, examined the rigid boy.

"I am Professor McGonagall, and welcome to Hogwarts." the older woman said. "Follow me," she pulled the door wide revealing a stone walled hallway lit with flaming torches. They could hear the voices of hundreds of people and the girls figured it was the other students. Instead of going where the voices where coming from, they entered a small, empty chamber off the hall. It was very crowded and uncomfortable. The girls where pushed against the young man from before. 

_He is muscular, sent Ariana to April with a chuckle. April just ignored her, knowing very well that it was just teasing. Ariana wouldn't leave her for anything or anybody in the world._

"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts."

_Just like the Phoenixes, Ari. April sent to Ariana as they listened to the professor. __I wonder if they get special privileges as well, she finished. Ariana just shrugged in respond._

"You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room. The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house you becomes yours." 

She walked up to Xander, April and Ariana, "Well why have you not put on your robes and why are you wearing Muggle clothes." The rest of the students in the room chuckled at this.

Before April and Ariana could answer her, a very angry Xander answered, "Well as you can see where aren't your typical first years and you don't have to be so rude to us. To answer your question, I was told only to talk to the headmaster." She only glared at him and turned to the girls. 

As she did so, April and Ariana bowed fully. It was April who said, "We humbly apologize, Professor. We were not informed that we needed special supplies. If there is a way to rectify this situation as soon as convenient, we will be in order at that time."

Before the professor could say anything, "When I talk to the headmaster, I'll be able to supply them. It's no trouble." Xander smiled at the girls, he loved help a person in need.

"Thank you," April said, bowing to him. "In return for your kindness, please allow us to pay for the supplies."

"Consider it the beginning of an interesting friendship." He gave his lop-sided grin.

"Again, we thank you," April said. "But we wish to repay your kindness. Please allow us the opportunity to do so."

Xander lifted his one eyebrow at April. _Okay. This is strange here. Half a second later, his brain hit him. __She really wants to do something in return, you dolt. Let her! "Okay," Xander said. "It's arranged, then."_

"Thank you," April and Ariana said, bowing again. Xander chuckled, and returned a semi-clumsy bow of his own. 

"Very well, after the Sorting you will meet with Professor Dumbledore. I shall return when we are ready for all of you," she said, projected to the rest of the students. 

Looking around the girls noticed that all the younger boys and girl where nervous. _I don't see any reason to be nervous. Look at Alexander. He seems so calm. April sent to Ariana._

_Well so are we. Not surprising, what we went through… but I do wonder what this sorting will entail. I just hope that we can get our hands on all that knowledge. Ariana sent back._

The professor returned, "Now form a line and follow me."

April and Ariana, along with Alexander, who seemed to be their new friend, waited at the end of the line. They entered the Great Hall and marveled at its beauty. It was lit by thousands of candles that floated in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the end of the massive hall was another table where the teachers were sitting. As April looked up she saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars, which looked perfectly like the sky outside. 

"Amazing," she whispered. They came to halt in front of the teachers' table and Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. Everyone became quiet and stared at the hat. _I wonder what's so special about that hat. April and Ariana sent to each other at the same time, causing but girls to chuckle audibly._

Then the hat twitched, and a rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth and began to sing:

"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty, 

But don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find

A smarter hat than me.

You can keep your bowlers black,

You top hats sleek and tall,

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

And I can cap them all.

There's nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see, (That statement made April, Ariana, and Alexander really nervous.)

So try me on and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve, and chivalry set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffs are true and unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,

If you've a ready mind,

Where those of wit and learning,

Will always find their kind; (_I bet that is the one we get into, April mentally said to Ari.)_

Or perhaps in Slytherin

You'll make your real friends,

Those cunning folk use any means

To achieve their ends.

So put me on! Don't be afraid!

And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands (though I have none)

For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became still again. "Interesting that a hat will determine which house we go in," replied Alexander to the girls. They just nodded at him. He wished could put in a joke.

The professor pulled a long roll of parchment and started to call the names of the students. As the students went up and sat on the stool, the professor put the hat on them and after a moment it would yell out the house they belonged to. The house would applause for the students they would receive as one of their own. For some it took a minute, maybe more and others it barely touched their heads before yelling the house.

Finally she got up to the last three people, which happen to be the oldest first years and also were not in the list she had. All the students whispered, wondering who the older students where. The professor pulled up another list and called out, 

"Fromthefield, April."

April walked to the front of the stool, and bowed to the professor. At that, she sat down on the stool, totally unconcerned. _So very human, though you don't think you are. Such intelligence would be a good match for Ravenclaw. _

_As I thought, April replied to the hat. __By the way, I would appreciate it if you kept our secrets._

Was that a gulp she heard from the hat? April wondered why. _Of course, the mystical object answered. _

_But what a heart, you have much loyalty to those who earn it. But the greatest asset you have is your courage, the hat said at that point. "Therefore you go to GRYFFINDOR!" The hat yelled the last part. April got up, turned, once again bowed to the professor, walked to the table, bowed to her new fellow students, and sat across from Pumpkin. Everyone on the Gryffindor table cheered and clapped for her. "Welcome to your new home away from home," replied Pumpkin._

"Thank you," April replied with a smile. "We will do our best to bring honor and glory to our house."

Pumpkin looked strangely at her, yet April's attention was already diverted back to the scene at the front of the room, where the Professor yelled out,

"Smith, Ariana."

As April, Ariana walked to the front, unconcerned, bowed to the professor, and sat down.

_So violent if separated from you life-partner, yet equal in intelligence, loyalty, and kindness, the hat thought to her. _You share so much of the same qualities._ __Your bravery and courage at the times of need are great; the hat finished its silent thought to Ariana. "Again you go to GRYFFINDOR!" it yelled across the room. Ariana got up, turned, bowed to the professor, easily strode over to the Gryffindor table, bowed to her new fellow students, and sat down next to April._

"You _knew you were going to be assigned to the same house?" Pumpkin asked._

"Of course," April replied with a gentle smile.

"There was never any doubt about that," Ariana answered, also smiling. "For our entire lives, we've been together… we've never been split up… Ever. And we were pretty sure that we wouldn't be separated now." Ariana could feel April's mental anguish at her statement. There was one time where they had been separated. Ariana's mind encompassed April's through the link. _Sorry, Kawaii, she apologized quietly to her life-partner._

***** Just before the girls get placed*****

Tsunami watched quietly and watched the proceedings in the Great Hall of Hogwarts through Xander's eyes, 'I don't think he would be happy if he knew we were so closely bonded.'  She smiled as each child made their way to their newly appointed house.  'I wonder if it would bother Alexander if I talked to him.'

_Alexander, may I speak with you,__ her voice was almost like a soft gentle wind in his mind.  It felt wonderful, but it also made him nervous that another being, tree whatever, could speak to him in his mind.  __I hope I am not going nuts, that's all I need! he thought.  He heard a giggle from the voice in his head._

Groaning, he mentally accepted her request to speak to him. _So, what you think of all this? he asked her._

Well honestly, I am intrigued how they divide themselves into different houses.  They all seem happy and it would seem they get the most out of their experience that way.

_Yeah, but it's creepy how they do it.  It's like their in your 'head'. He emphasized the last part._

Does it really bother you that much that I wish to speak with you?  It is very lonely out here and you're the first person I've been in physical contact with in 400 years.

Worried that he messed up, _I am sorry; I just have to get used to it.  I mean have y– Getting frustrated he mentally mumbles, __Great, not only am I hearing a tree's voice in my head, but a cute lonely one as well._

Xander reddened as he heard an echoed giggle in his mind, he found that strange, but continued to wait as he saw another person going up to the hat.  He noticed a few of the Professors staring at him, _I wonder what's their problem._

_That wasn't nice Alexander.  They're your teachers, you should respect them.  Tsunami didn't like how easily they could tell something was going on with Xander.  She could tell by the way they looked at him, maybe the conversation is leaking out energy.  __Alexander, try and concentrate a little like I taught you and try to lessen your aura.  I think our conversation is having an effect on your energy output._

Xander noticed that one of the Professors was giving death looks at one of the students in the Gryffindor table. _I wonder what grudge he has?  _

I do not know Alexander, but it may be interesting to find out.  Now please try to concentrate and hide your aura before some of your professors start asking too many questions.

Xander concentrated and slowed his breathing as he was trained to do; slowly the energy encompassing him was reduced.  _There, happy? You know how hard that is for me._

_Alexander, it had to be done.  We can not be interrogated about weird auras surrounding you, she responded with a tone that said 'stop pestering me with such simple questions and complaints.'_

_Well it's almost my turn.  This better be worth it.  _

_Oh it will, you'll see.  Now pay attention._

  
End of Part 2a

NA:  I need help with the harry potter characters, I don't want to ooc them and I need help, anyone out there that can help please email me at shadow_quark@yahoo.com. :)  thanks for reading  
  



	8. Part 2 b

TITLE: Xander Muyo: Hogwart's Style Part 1B

AN:  I would like to thank Grossclout for editing my story.  Also to Enterprise1701_D for helping me write it.  Also thanks to everyone that has reviewed.  Also Tex James who helped me revise and add more interesting scenes to this chapter.

***

Damn. It's my turn. Maybe the hat will go to sleep. My life is that boring. And I don't think I like that professor. She was mean to April and Ariana. Besides, I don't like authority… never did, and never will.

"Masters, Alexander," the professor yelled out.

Now Xander was confused. What in Hell? They even got my name wrong!! This is starting to get ridiculous! He walked up to the professor and whispered with as much respect as he could muster in his present state, "I think you got my name wrong. It's Alexander Harris."

Professor McGonagall looked at him as if he just grew another head, and now sported scales. "I'm sorry young man, but the magic pen that lists all the names is never wrong. Not once in the hundred years that Hogwarts has existed."

Xander shrugged and grumbled to himself about hating magic and sat on the stool. The moment the hat hit his head, it started shaking for a couple of seconds and then stood stiff still. _Such pain, such loyalty, but so much power. Your power can grow in Slytherin, but I can see above all you have a strong heart and bravery to challenge all before you. What house do you want?_

Xander was shocked that he was asked in his best 'Xander': huh?

You have potential to be placed in all of the houses. This is a hard choice indeed… in Slytherin your power will grow beyond any before you. In Gryffindor you will learn control and loyalty and courage with friends for life. In Ravenclaw, you will be with others that have the same vast intelligence. In Hufflepuff you will be with those that are loyal beyond all others.

Well… power is nothing without control, and above all loyalty and courage is what is needed to fight the evil in the world. Besides, I want to be with those two girls. I think They're HOT, Xander added to his thought to the Hat. I think I'll choose Gryffindor.

_Very well, "GRYFFINDOR" yelled out the hat. The hall was shocked in near-silence. Never before had the hat taken so long to chose and its violent reaction at the beginning was disturbing. The Gryffindors knew what to do though, and they all clapped and cheered._

Xander stood up and sat next to Pumpkin "So what's everyone so shocked about?" he asked, bending closer to the friend he had made on the train.

"Dude, didn't you notice how violently the hat acted towards you?" Pumpkin looked at Xander pointedly, as if trying to determine whether or not Xander was doing ok.

Xander raised his eyebrow. "Kinda hard to look at something that's on top of your head," he said with a chuckle. "Besides that professor got my name wrong," Xander said, wondered where the Masters-thing came from.

"I never heard of the magic pen that lists al the names being wrong, but don't worry about it. I know you'll be shocked when we get our food." 

"Food, yeah, that's what I need," his stomach made a huge growl at his comment making everyone around him laugh.

Ignoring the laughs Xander examined the room and looked towards the High Table where the faculty was seated. At the end of the table, Hagrid was seated. I like him; he acts like he's got a big heart. In the center of the table, in a large gold chair, sat a silver haired older man. He must be the headmaster… and did he just smile at me? Next to Dumbledore sat an Asian man, he had grayish hair tied up in a ponytail, a light from the room seemed to shine off his glasses blocking Xander from seeing his eyes. "Yo, Pumpkin who is that next to the headmaster?"

"I heard he was the new DADA teacher, he comes from Japan I think," said Pumpkin as if it was common knowledge.

"Japan," both April and Ariana said. _It will be good to have a teacher of the Japanese school, April said. I've grown used to it with Morimoto-sensei… I'll miss the signs of respect a student has for a teacher, and the respect a teacher has for the student._

_I know what you mean, Ariana replied. I miss him too…_

He helped us so much, April whispered. 

"Hey girls!" they heard, snapping them out of their 'dream'.

"Excuse us," April replied. "We just dreamed off for a moment."

"I can see that," Xander said with a chuckle. "I asked why you were staring into space like that."

"Oh," April replied with a sad smile. "We spent the last three years of our lives in Japan. It's nice to have someone here who reminds us of the place we left behind there," she replied easily.

"Now, what's DADA?" Xander asked. 

"It's an art form," April replied immediately. "Mostly writers and poets who deliberately tried to spread confusion, and provoke the people. They're known as anti-artists, and their reaction grew in response to the First World War."

"Possibly," Pumpkin said as the rest of the table stared at April. "But in here, it stands for 'Defense Against the Dark Arts'. Do you see that guy next to the new professor? That's Professor Snape. He has wanted to teach that class for ages, but it's never happened. I hate that guy."

"He can't be that bad," Ariana replied.

"You'll find out for yourself," Pumpkin said, with wicked smile.

"I'm starting to get really hungry. Where's the food?" Xander laughed to Pumpkin.

"Just hold your horses, dude. In a minute," Pumpkin answered, pointing to the headmaster.

Albus Dumbledore got up and smiled at the students, "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts!" He waved his hands and sat back down. Everyone clapped and cheered. 

_I think I am going to like him, April said with a chuckle to Ariana. _

_Ditto, Kawaii. Very much ditto, Ariana replied with an easy mental smile._

The dishes in front of him were now piled with food. The table was full of roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and many other things. Xander's mouth hung open and he drooled.

"You better close your mouth, Alexander… a fly may mistake it for something else otherwise," replied Ariana with laughter clearly in her eyes.

"Yeah. Your drool is starting to create a puddle," April chuckled.

Xander closed his mouth and started to pile food onto his plate. He ate and ate and ate, shocking everyone. No one knew that a person could eat so much. 

_No wonder he kept complaining about Twinkies before. He's got a bottomless stomach. Pumpkin thought._

All the commotion with Xander's appetite took away the attention from April and Ariana who also had more than average appetites, although theirs was still civil, contrary to Xander's.

April and Ariana chuckled at Xander's antics and his ability to pile food down his throat. _He has got to be a Saiyan; no way a normal human can eat that much, mentally laughed April to Ariana._

_Yeah, he would scare Goku and piss of the great Saiyan prince himself, Vegeta. Ariana laughed back to April. _

_Not much trouble there… Vegeta gets pissed at his own shadow, April replied casually. __Besides, Goku can kick Vegeta's ass anytime. The show shows so. _

Xander stopped eating for a sec and looked around at the other students' shocked expressions, he turned towards Pumpkin, "What's there problem?" 

"Don't worry dude, they just never seen anybody eat so much," laughed Pumpkin. He laughed so hard he almost fell off his chair.

Xander looked around and turned red, and decided to eat slower and not fill his plate up so fast. 

As everyone continued to eat, conversations started and others kept to themselves as they ate. Finally the desserts disappeared, much to Xander's disappointment. "Man just one more pie, please," he mumbled. 

Pumpkin laughed, "Man! Aren't you filled yet? You ate enough for an army!"

"I guess not," Xander laughed. They both turned to look up at the High Table. 

Professor Dumbledore got up, "Ahem, just a few words and notices to give you."

"First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well. Remember not to use magic in between classes in the corridors, this message courtesy of Mr. Filch."

"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch. Finally do not forget about the return of Lord Voldemort," everyone gasped at the use of that name. "We can not forget the loss of our dear friend and fellow student Cedric Diggory, please take a minute and pay your respects." The hall became quiet, except for the Slytherins, who were clapping and yelling that Diggory got what he deserved.

For the first time, an angry twinkle was seen on Dumbledore's eyes by the students. "Table Slytherin, for the disgrace you have shown, you loose 50 points." Everyone at the table groaned but became quiet.

Xander turned to Pumpkin to ask what was going on, but Pumpkin waved him off as if the subject would be discussed later.

As the hall became quiet once again, "When visiting Hogsmeade be careful of others and if any trouble is seen please report to any of the available professors."

Now in a more cheery voice, "Let us sing the school song before we go off to bed!" Dumbledore retrieved his wand and waved it, a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which raised high above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike into words.

"Every year we do this," Pumpkin said to the girls and Xander.

"Everyone pick their favorite tune," said Dumbledore, "and off we go!" They all sang, Xander thought that it was a cute song. Everyone finished, and Dumbledore clapped and, "Off to bed!"

Xander and the girls stayed behind as the other first years left to go to the dormitory. Professor McGonagall came up to them and stopped Harry and two of his friends before they left. "Mister Potter, Mister Weasley, and Miss Granger, will you accompany me to Professor Dumbledore's office?" 

The three teenagers looked shocked and scared, their expression clearly conveying the message why where they being summoned so soon? 

Xander noticed their discomfort and looked up at the professor, "I just need you to accompany Mr. Masters, Miss Fromthefield, and Miss Smith back to dormitory when they are done speaking with him."

The teens relaxed immediately and nodded to the professor, while Xander started to turn red and he started to get really angry as well. "Excuse me, Professor. As I told you before, my name is Harris, not Masters. I would appreciate it if you didn't make that mistake again." He tried really hard not to yell at her.

The experiences teens gasped, as they had never seen anyone be so rude at the professor. But what shocked them more was her response. 

"Yes, well the magic pen that lists the names is never wrong. Maybe you should talk to Professor Dumbledore about that before you snap at me." She seemed so calm and replied with respect. 

"Sorry about the outburst. I'll talk with him then," Xander said, calmed down now.

***

All of them followed the professor up some stairs to the second floor and down a corridor. After a few minutes of walking, the group halted in front of an ugly stone gargoyle against a wall. "I wonder if I could get one of those to protect my Twinkies …" as Xander said his last word, the gargoyle jumped out of the way and the wall slid open to reveal an upwards moving spiral stair-case.

"… back home," Xander finished, voice shocked at what he had witnessed. April and Ariana were smiling slightly, one eyebrow raised.

"Then who will protect them from you?" Pumpkin chuckled, as if nothing unusual happened. Everyone laughed until Ron asked what a Twinkie was. The professor just raised an eyebrow at Xander.

Xander shrieked in horror. "Y…you don't know what a Twinkie is!? Oh, the horror!" Everyone laughed again except Ron and the professor. Harry leaned over to Ron and mentioned that it was a Muggle pastry.

"Hey, man. Quick question… why did big stone and ugly over there get out the way when I mentioned Twinkies?" Xander asked Harry, leaning closer to him.

"Well, I guess it's the password to get to Dumbledore's office. He usually picks his favorite sweets as his password," Harry replied calmly.

Xander gave Harry a big lopsided smile. "I am definitely going to like this guy," he said with conviction, electing a chuckle from some of the people present. Professor McGonagall ushered them up the long staircase until they reached a gleaming oak door with a brass knocker in the shape of a griffin.

Xander looked around and was amazed at the portraits of what he assumed where previous Headmasters and Headmistresses, and how they moved and talked to each other. There was a desk and 7 chairs around the table; next to the desk was a golden perch used by a beautiful gold-and-red bird.

"Amazing!" Ariana choked out at the sight of the bird. "Isn't that a phoenix?"

April nodded slowly. "A very living phoenix… and outside of a mythology book."

As the two girls, entranced by the bird, ventured closer, it flew up from its stand, approaching the girls tentatively as well, as if bird and girls were watching each other intently, trying to figure out how to establish 'first contact' the best way. Finally, it was April who lifted her arm, holding it horizontally, and allowed herself to enter the state of inner peace that made her a non-threat to the most ferocious of animals. The Phoenix screeched once, and touched down on the girl's arm. Both girls smiled, looking over the beautiful creature with amazing attention. It was April who first ventured to pet the fire-bird. When she received no adverse reactions, Ariana joined in as well, petting the bird across the back.

"Ahh, it looks like Fawkes made new friends," Dumbledore said with a smile as he entered from an adjacent room. He was now certain about his earlier decision…He knew that, once Fawkes liked someone, they must be good people. "Everyone, please take a seat," he said, sitting down behind the desk. Xander could see the Sorting Hat standing behind Dumbledore, and there was a beautiful sword next to it. 

"Welcome to my office, Alexander, April, and Ariana. And once again, Welcome to Hogwarts," he said, bowing his head both to show respect and greet the newcomers. The girls bowed from their seats, while Xander merely dipped his head and smiled at the headmaster.

"Professor, I loved your password. It's great to meet a fellow Twinkie lover," Xander said, standing up and extended his hand to the person behind the desk.

Dumbledore laughed and took Xander's hand in a friendly clasp. "Yes, I can't resist the sweets," he said with a chuckle. Everyone in the room snickered slightly, except for April and Ariana, who merely smiled. Snickering or laughing would indicate disrespect… and if there was one thing both had learned from their stay in Japan, it was respect for teachers. 

The two Twinkie lovers had returned to their seats, and Dumbledore turned to April and Ariana. "April and Ariana, allow me to start with you first. I have reviewed your records from your previous schooling, although this is an unusual thing to do for new students. But, when the pen placed your names on the list, and indicated that you were above the age limit, I had to look into it, merely as a precaution to determine in which areas you needed extra effort. I can say that I am glad I looked. I can honestly say that I am honored to have the two longest active members of the Institute of higher Learning's Phoenixes in our ranks," his eyes twinkled and he smiled at the girls.

"Thank you, headmaster," both of the girls responded, unsure. Professor McGonagall stared at the duo.

"You were Phoenixes," she asked with a hint of awe in her voice. "For how long, may I ask?"

April and Ariana bowed their heads. "Five years, Professor. We were forced to leave… an emergency forced us to move to Japan," April answered with a slight tremor in her voice. Ariana placed a calming hand on her friend's shoulder. April smiled gratefully, although a little sadly, at Ariana.

Dumbledore smiled and looked to Professor McGonagall. "Minerva, the girls will set up their own curriculum. They will learn at their own pace. Give them a list of all the books they need and the classes that are available. I have no doubt that they can learn faster if they aren't hampered by the professors."

"But Albus! It would be impossible for them to learn so much without hands-on work that we do in the classroom!" she protested, a little surprised by the headmaster's words. "I know that the Phoenixes are supposed to be the best and brightest, but I am doubtful that even they can learn without a single practical example."

Dumbledore nodded. "They will still be required to attend class with the other Gryffindors, but they will not be required to follow the pace of the class. They will be allowed to set their own pace and the professors will answer any questions and set tasks for them to finish in order for them to be able to show improvement," as he finished he turned to the couple, watching the proceedings with a keen intellect. "Will this be acceptable?" he asked them.

"Yes sir, just one question. Will we be able to ask any of the professors questions, like your self for instance?" April asked respectfully.

Before he could answer, Professor McGonagall cut in. "Of course not! Headmaster Dumbledore is a very busy and powerful wizard!"

Dumbledore smiled at the professor, turned to the girls, and his smile grew wider. "Yes, of course you may… if I am not busy with other matters." 

"Thank you, headmaster," April said, she and her companion bowing. "If you would allow me one more question, sir... but... is there an area for general experimentation? After all, magic, if I understand it correctly, can have very... explosive results. Is there an area where we can experiment without accidentally damaging something valuable and/or irreplaceable?" April asked.

"Yes, when the time comes that you anticipate the need for a secluded room, please ask Professor McGonagall." 

"Thank you for your help, Headmaster. We will not fail you, or the trust you have put in us," April said, bowing once again. 

Xander looked at the duo, not understanding why they weren't seasick from all the bopping.

Dumbledore nodded. "I'm sure you won't," he said with a friendly smile. He then turned his attention to Xander, "Now, Alexander, you on the other hand, will have limited amount of time available. Our mutual acquaintance," his said with twinkling eyes, "has requested that you must learn everything in one year's time."

Everyone gasped, except April and Ariana, He's probably an undiscovered Phoenix, April thought to Ariana. _Poor boy… growing up in normal education with a mind built to reach for the stars._

Ariana nodded slowly. _Or he's a new one… after all; we left over three years ago. Who knows how many new people the Institute has by now?_

_True, April allowed. __Very true. We'll see. _

_That we will, Kawaii. That we will, Ariana replied calmly, with a smile in Xander's direction._

 "But Albus! No student has ever been able to finish that quickly! I must object to this decision," Professor McGonagall protested.

_How long did it take us to finish three years of Junior High School, and the three years of high School? Three months, give or take? April asked her companion._

_When we were seven years old. We've grown a lot stronger since then. These seven years shouldn't take us more than two and a half months, three months tops, if the matter is hard or extensive, Ariana answered calmly. Both girls looked at each other. Three months, and we're done, they vowed to each other. __We'll show the Professor WHY we made Phoenix five years in a row, April thought to her companion with a smile._

Xander had stood up by now, and had turned to the female professor. "If Mr. Dumbledore says that I have to do it, then I don't know how, but I'll do it!" Xander said with a determined look in his eyes. April and Ariana were probably the only ones in the room who could read that there was also a great shock about the demand placed on him.

_He's not a Phoenix, April thought to her friend. __A Phoenix knows how to meet impossible demands. We'll help him… with Phoenix mind-training. We'll teach him to assimilate data._

_Agreed, Ariana answered. __He helped us, so we should help him, any way we can. _

"Very well," Dumbledore said, glad that Xander was willing to meet this challenge head-on. "He will have the same type of schooling as the girls, but he will have to finish a year's worth of lessons every month. The remaining months will be used on advanced training," the headmaster decided.

To say Minerva McGonagall was shocked would not nearly describe her reaction and how she felt. Never has anyone been put under so much training before. This is insane… What is GOING ON here? "Albus, may I ask why he must go through so much training so quickly?" she asked, her voice carefully neutral.

"I am sorry, Minerva, but I promised a friend not to reveal too much," he gave her an apologetic smile and then turned to Xander, "Is this acceptable Alexander? Is there anything else you require?"

"When I said I was going to like you, I meant it," Xander said with a grin. "Sure, it's cool… but I do need facilities so I can train."

Dumbledore gave him a knowing look. "Of course, we have big training facility, normally accessible only 5th years and above. You may use it, anytime you like. As long as it does not interfere with your magical training, of course," the headmaster concluded with a smile.

"Cool," he turned to Harry, "Do you know where it is?"

Harry, totally confused by what had occurred, just shook his head.

"Don't worry Mister Potter and Mister Masters. The prefects will tell you were it is once you return to the dormitory," Dumbledore smiled slyly, knowing what the next question would be.

"Why does everyone insist that my last name is Masters?" Xander cried. "Ha, Ha, you guys got me, you can stop the joke already." _This has to be joke. What else could it be? Xander's mind grunted inwardly. _

"Exactly what I thought you where going to say. Katsuhito, I think it's time you come in." The old man that Xander had seen earlier at the High Table, the Japanese DADA teacher, entered from the same room that Dumbledore entered from earlier.

He just stared at Xander as trying to see something or find something, when suddenly; a tear left his right eye. "No wonder Tsunami wanted me to come here," he whispered, but Xander caught what he said.

_Tsunami? April and Ariana asked each other at the same time. __Why is Xander's heart thumping so hard, and why is the Japanese DADA teacher showing emotions? April voiced both their questions._

_I don't know, Kawaii. This is getting weirder by the minute. For a Japanese TEACHER to show emotions… in front of NEW students…it takes something big. And who would be called Tsunami? How can you call someone after a destructive force of nature?_

_Questions, questions, April replied. __Riddles to be solved. We'll solve them._

_You can bet we will, Ariana answered. __I want to know what is going on here._

April simply chuckled through the link.

Xander was shocked to hear Tsunami's name and wondered how many secrets she was withholding from him. "Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked coolly, studying the Japanese teacher.

Katsuhito just stepped closer to Xander and kept looking at him, as if staring at his soul. To say this was frightening Xander was an understatement. On instinct, he jumped out of the chair and pulled out the Akiri-ken. The power-readings he was getting from the old man where higher than the other wizards. He didn't know if the Japanese man was friend or foe. Careful not to ignite the blade and totally blow his cover, Xander just kept Akiri-ken at the ready. April and Ariana where curious of his actions, but figured that he was just trying to show his magical item.

Xander was shocked when Katsuhito just walked up to him and placed his hand on the end of the sword and nothing happened. What the fuck, isn't he supposed to get shocked now? Only family members of the royal family can touch my Akiri-ken. "What?" he muttered.

No one else knew what to do, and were wondering what the item Xander pulled out was. Katsuhito stepped back and whispered in pure Juraian, "I see you have Akiri's blade with you, my Grandson." Xander had learned the language from Tsunami and thought no one here knew it. 

Unknown language, April's genetic memories told her. _I've recorded it. The more we know about it, the more I'll add to it… now I am REALLY beginning to wonder what is going on here._

_First he gets the same treatment as us, then he pulls out a magic wand that looks like a sword-handle, and now he and our DADA teacher are talking in Unknown. You're right, April. Something not right, and we'll need to figure it out… soon. For all we know, they might be agents left from Zodiac, or some other group, trying to get their hands on our genetically enhanced bodies._

April gulped through the link, and a shudder went through her._ I really hoped it was over, Love… I really hoped it was over… I don't want to run again._

_Now we have Morimoto-sensei, and Yahiko-Kun. We can stay with them. Carol is keeping a continuous eye on air-traffic. We can bail anytime._

April took a shuddering breath. _Right. I need to pull myself together._

Ariana's mental voice turned velvety soft. _After what we went through, we're entitled to be careful, she said._

Xander gasped, unable to think clearly. Who was this man that claimed to be his grandfather? A painful memory crashed into him. His life at home finally made sense. His father's words echoed in his mind. You're no son of mine; you're worthless, his father would say, before the beatings would start. This time anger was the only thing he was feeling, "I need my rest can we go to the dormitory," he asked Dumbledore with a tired voice. He really did feel tired. Of course, at the same time, he ignored the Japanese man. 

"Very well. Mister Potter, Miss Granger, and Mister Weasley, can you please show our new friends to the dormitory? Thank you and good night." The six got up and left for the dormitory… after April and Ariana bowed to the Headmaster, the DADA teacher, and the Professor in turn.

"Albus, what is going on here?" a very angry Minerva McGonagall asked.

"I am sorry; Minerva, but I can not reveal anything at the moment. Please try to understand," Dumbledore said, sounding apologetic.

She got up angrily. "Very well, Albus. But I do not like to be kept out of the loop, especially when it concerns MY students in MY house," she said, clearly emphasizing the 'my', before walking out of the office.

"Well, that didn't go very well, Katsuhito. Did it?" The smile that Dumbledore had on early left his face and a neutral expression replaced it.

"No, I didn't expect to finally find him. Tsunami told us she couldn't find him," tears left his eyes as he recalled the pain that his daughter went through when Alexander turned up missing.

"She may have her reasons. She was the one that told me to use the pen to get his name," Dumbledore said thoughtfully. 

"Yes, that may be, but she kept him from us. I hope he's had a good life, so his mother and father can now rest in peace," Katsuhito said. As a second thought, he added, "I think Alexander is right. I feel tired too. I think I'll go to bed. Good night." Katsuhito bowed to Dumbledore and left his office.

"Interesting days indeed," Dumbledore whispered, before he retired to his own bedroom.

  
  
 


	9. Part 2c

TITLE: Xander Muyo: Hogwart's Style Part 1C

***

Xander and the girls followed Harry and his friends through the corridor and went up the marble staircase. There were portraits along the next corridor they came upon and Xander ignored them, but the girls noticed how the people in the portraits whispered and pointed at them. _Interesting, I am definitely going to like it here, she sent to her companion. Both laughed at the same time. They were led through doorways hidden behind sliding panels and hanging tapestries. Climbing more staircases, they followed Harry and his friends. Harry turned around._

"You have to be careful when using the staircases, they tend to move and disappear at times. So you may get lost, but you'll eventually get used to it," he said, when they were suddenly interrupted by a loud bang and a loud rude sound.

"Oh great! Peeves," Harry grunted. "He's a poltergeist," he added for the newcomer's benefit. April and Ariana simply lifted an eyebrow in interest. Xander felt something creepy make his way up his spine. Having lived on top of the Hellmouth for so many years had brought him into contact with lots of different nasty things. A poltergeist was the last thing he wanted to encounter right now.

"Yeah, and a really annoying one at that," Ron added.

"I heard that, Weasley!" Peeves said, appearing right in front of the group. He started zipping around them and finally Xander had enough, "look fool, leave me and my friends alone or else…" he said, threatening.

"And what are you going to do?" the poltergeist laughed. "Tickle me to death?"

Before Xander could do anything, Harry walked up to Peeves. "Do you know what this is?" he asked, pointing to the lightening scar on his forehead. "I know you do, and you know who has been helping me understand it." The poltergeist turned even whiter than usual.

"That's right. The great Bloody Baron," Harry said. "So you'd better get going before I tell him you disrespected me." Peeves made a quick getaway, and Harry and his friends laughed. "Don't worry guys. I was just messing with him, I love when I can trick someone who deserves it," Harry explained to the newcomers.

Curious April moved up to Harry, "Who's the Bloody Baron?"

"Oh, he's one of the Hogwart's ghosts. He is the Slytherin ghost. Every house has a ghost, and ours is Nearly Headless Nick. He's a great ghost and nice to everyone," Harry replied with a big smile to April. Her beauty didn't go unnoticed by him or Ron, much to Hermione's annoyance.

At the end of the corridor hung a portrait of a very fat woman in a blue silk dress.

"Password?" she said. "Carpe Diem," said Harry. "Which is what Dumbledore told me before we left," he answered to Ron and Hermione's questioning looks.

As they walked in they noticed that everyone had gone to bed except Pumpkin and Katie Bell, who happened to be one of the new female prefects for Gryffindor.

"Hi Katie," said Harry to his fellow Quidditch player. "Hey Pumpkin."

Katie ended up telling them how to get to the training area before they went to their designated sleeping areas. Pumpkin and Xander walked up to the 7th years sleeping quarters. "I picked the bunk bed because I knew you where going to end up being stuck with it," Pumpkin said to Xander.

"Thanks man, I'll take the top bunk," Xander said gratefully, jumping up on the top bunk and quickly fell asleep.

***Gryffindor 7th years sleeping quarters, 4 a.m.***

_Damn another side effect of my so-called power, less sleep needed. To bad too, I love to sleep and that dream about Buffy and Faith… His guilt of what happened before entering Hogwarts came back to him full force. __I miss then so much… but I betrayed them. They'll never want to have anything more to do with me now. He got up, tired of just lying there, and decided he should get his daily training routine done with before classes started._

Remembering what Katie told him the night before, Xander went to the training facilities. As he walked through the corridors and the marble staircases he grew more determined. He had to fulfill his training. What bothered him was why he had to do it. _Tsunami never told me why, just that it had to do with my destiny. She's so hot I couldn't say no…, he mentally chuckled._

In outer space the entity known as Tsunami blushed at hearing his comment. _He has to learn to block his thoughts when handling Akiri-ken, she thought._

Xander noticed that no-one was about and was grateful for it. _Exactly why would anyone be up at this time?_

Finally making it to the facility after half an hour of wondering around the corridors, he stopped at a door. "Self-image," he said and the portrait of a body builder moved a side and revealed a massive room.

There was large track that had a sign next to it that said, "One-mile around. Don't hurt yourselves, you bloody wussies." Xander smiled at the sign and wondered who made it. In the center of the track were loads and loads of lifting equipment, from barbells, to loose weights, to weight machines, etc. Xander was stunned that a magic school would have so much equipment. Next to the track was what he assumed was a sparring area and next to that was a set of mats. Along the wall where he entered, were all kinds of weapons on display, from practice bokken, fencing swords to fighting staves.

He started off with a simple jog of 5 miles and then walked over to the mats and spent a half hour on an extensive stressing routine. Once he was done stressing he waked up to the wall with the two wooden bokken and grabbed them.

He walked up to the sparring area and sat down in a meditating position placing the two bokken on the side he smiled and closed his eyes. He thought back to when he was hit by stupid beam and how that incident changed his life. _I wonder if it's a curse or a blessing, Willow will not be pleased that she was wrong; he mentally chuckled at the last part._

***Flashback***

We enter Xander's new apartment and see two Xander's talking to each other.

"We're completely identical," said SuaveXander with a goofy smile.

While ScruffyXander responded, "Yeah, we checked out some stuff in the car on the way over." Seeing Anya's frown and arched eyebrow he quickly says, "Fingerprints!"

Anya turned towards the others, which included Buffy, Willow and Giles, "Well, maybe we shouldn't do this reintegration thing right away. See, I can take the boys home, and... we can all have sex together, and... you know, just slap 'em back together in the morning." Her last statement was said with a lot of excitement and she just dreamily smiled at the prospect of what she wanted. Giles tried not to look appalled as Buffy and Riley grinned.

SuaveXANDER immediately yelled, "She's joking!"

ScruffyXANDER, on the other hand, went against his counterpart, "No she's not! She entirely wants to have sex with us together. Which is... **wrong, and, and it would be very confusing." But everyone could see his eyebrow arch as he thought of pleasing his lover.**

Giles answered, totally disgusted. "Uh, uh, we just need to light the candles. Also, we should continue to pretend we heard none of the disturbing sex talk."

"Check. Candles and pretense," Willow babbled happily about her being able to use magic, and show how good she was with it.

Everyone moves around getting stuff ready, except the Xanders.

"It's not like it'd be cheating. They're both Xander," Anya said as she smiled sweetly to the Xanders.

ScruffyXANDER looked at this counterpart confused, "Now, hold on a sec. If you weren't putting a whammy on people with the shiny thing, how'd you do it? How'd you get the promotion?"

SuaveXANDER replied, confidently and proud of himself, "Well, I'm good at that stuff. "

ScruffyXANDER was shocked, "I am?"

"Yeah," responded the other.

ScruffyXANDER still confused, "And hey, how 'bout that lady, huh? The apartment manager."

"How weird was it when she called me "mister"?" SuaveXANDER laughed. The Xanders grinned goofily at each other.

"We're ready. We should do it now," a totally sure Willow said. The Xanders turned their grins toward her.

Starting to get worried Anya stated the obvious, "What'll we do if this doesn't work?"

The both Xanders looked at each other then, in unison, "Kill us both, Spock!"

Laughing Buffy looked at them, "They're ... kinda the same now."

"Yes, he's clearly a bad influence on himself," a smirking Guiles replied.

Getting tired of waiting ScruffyXANDER yelled, "Hey, summon the goddess. Chant the chant. Let's do it."

"Actually, it's not that hard. Your natural state is to be together. Toth's spell is doing all the work of keeping you apart. I just have to break it. So you two ..." She took them both by the hand and positioned them inside the chalk markings, "stand right here. Side by side. We don't want you to end up with two fronts, now do we?" a serious Wiccan replied.

ScruffyXANDER looked scared, "Are you sure you know how to do this?" The other Xander also didn't like how things where looking.

Ignoring them Willow exhaled, "Here we go. Brace yourselves."

The two Xanders closed their eyes and prepared for the inevitable.

"Let the spell be ended."

Xander stood there whole, still with eyes closed, "You gotta be kidding. 'Let the spell be ended'. That's not gonna work." He opened his eyes and sees there's only one of him. "Oh!"

Willow smiled proudly.

A little disappointed, Anya whimpered, "I liked it the other way. Put him back."

Buffy raised her eyebrows.

**Later that night**

Xander had finally finished unpacking and had noticed that Anya had already moved some of her things into the master bedroom.

As the night progressed Anya got restless and ripped his shirt off and started to kiss his chest. "You know this would be better if there were two of you." Totally annoyed at his girlfriend for saying something like that while they were being intimate, a white light engulfed him and there stood two of him.

Unlike before there was differences he noticed, but couldn't think about them… because his thoughts where interrupted.

"Thank you, thank you …" giggled Anya as she rushed to take off her clothes.

After a few hours of being "intimate" with Anya and totally wearing her out and promising her that they wouldn't tell the others about his condition she fell asleep.

The Xanders got out of bed carefully, and went to the living room to find out what they where going to do about the situation NOW.

Sitting across from each other, they just stared and compared themselves. "Seems like we're the same. I don't feel weak. I feel like always," Xander1 said.

"Yeah. Maybe instead of returning us to one, breaking the spell did something else. I vote we tell Giles," Xander2 said.

_Hm, I don't know if we should. What should I tell the other me? I don't feel weaker, this could be cool. I can be in two places at once, Xander1 thought._

"Wow, I just heard what you thought! Cool," Xander2 said.

"Cool! Yeah, but it's up there in the weirdness factor," the other laughed, pointing his finger into the air.

"You know what I was thinking…" before Xander1 could finish he was interrupted.

"Of course, you where thinking that when we split we where thinking of making Anya happy, and if both think of being one again it may work the same way," a smirking Xander2 said.

Totally annoyed Xander1 just grunted. "Damnit, you didn't have to interrupt me you know. I just wanted to say it out loud to see if it made sense. I wonder if I can block my thoughts from you," he said, an evil smirk appeared on his face.

"Nope. Well not yet," the other laughed.

They both willed themselves to be one and where engulfed with a white light, and the one Xander stood there, disoriented, as his mind tried to put the separate memories in order.

***End of Flashback***

Xander stood up and concentrated on becoming two, "Hey number one," Xander2 said to Xander1 in his best 'Captain Picard'.

"Hey to yourself… or is it myself, second?" Xander1 replied with a chuckle.

"Stop calling me 'Second'," the other replied testily.

"Well stop calling me number one. Call me first," Xander1 said, giving the trademark lop-sided smile.

Xander2 just grunted and they both got serious. Both of them picked up one bokken, Xander1 got into a relaxed stance, while Xander2 just stood there waiting. Both momentarily concentrated so that they could talk to each other while sparring but also block all other thoughts.

_You know I am going to mop the floor with you, Xander1 taunted Xander2._

_How can you beat yourself up? That's just wrong, besides your only half strength, speed and endurance than when we're together, Xander2 replied as he tightened the grip on his weapon and circled Xander1._

_Easily, by splitting myself up. Both Xanders shot words back and forth, but they kept the tone of their words dry and controlled. Xander1 jumped and landed on Xander2's bokken and flipped back kicking Xander2 in the face. __Take that, you wussy._

Xander2 got back up and charged his counterpart, and swung the bokken at his opponent's feet, while spinning on horizontal axis and kicking Xander1 in the face while he tried to dodge the bokken. _You were expecting that where you? I am so going to make you my bitch. Oh, man! I just kicked myself in the face!_

The sparring when on for another hour before both of them bowed to each other and stood next to each other. _Yo First, I think we should practice our synchronized sword play._

Finally taking a lighter tone, Xander1 replied, _My thoughts exactly, second. He chuckled at the last part. Annoyed at his counterpart, Xander2 let the mental barriers fall completely and felt the effect of fully reconnecting with his counterpart. For the next hour they went through sword routine after sword routine, finally stopping when they heard clapping from behind them._

Both Xanders turned around at the exact same time and said, "What do you want, old man?" Not surprised that their so called 'grandfather' had been there for the past twenty minutes.

Not showing his surprise at Alexander knowing he was there the man replied, "You know the basic Juraian movements very well, Alexander."

"Yes, Tsunami's knowledge transfer was very detailed. She didn't give me the knowledge of the Royal Family's martial arts, though," Xander1 pointed out.

"Yes, the reason for that is because I am to train you in it. Long ago, Tsunami and the Royal family made an agreement not to give the knowledge of our arts away, only through hard work and training with family would it be passed on."

"Great. More training. I am really starting to get tired of this. So how come you're not bugged about my little show before?" Xander2 asked the question, sounding annoyed.

The older man stood perfectly calm as he answered. "Don't worry about the training. You already know the basics on which our family's art is based. As to your current state, it looks as if you have another trait that other Juraians lack. I assume it is due your relationship with Tsunami."

"Err, wrong Jeeves. It's magic, pure, evil, dark magic that created Second over there," Xander1 was trying to get the old man to stop being so calm.

"Hey, you where the one created, numbskull," Xander2 grunted testily, obviously hurt by Xander1's comment about him being created by dark magic.

_Well, you are._

_No I am not. And you're not the main Xander. It takes both of us to be that._

"I see." Katsuhito was still not fazed whatsoever. "I only know of one other being with this property, but you say it is magic. This I must look into."

"Hey, I will not be anyone's experiment. Keep your hands to yourself." Xander2 backed away.

"Relax, Second. He won't do that. He's our grandpa. Right?" Xander1 turned and looked at Katsuhito waiting for his question to be answered.

***Out-sided on Hogwart's grounds***

It was barely two in the morning when two solitary figures slid silently through the darkness of the night. April and Ariana, having slept for four hours, were now taking their morning jog.

_Did you find a safe spot, Carol? April asked the AI linked to the three-way Link-up in her brain._

_There's a forest to the west of the Hogwarts Castle. It's full of interesting creatures… some nice, some not so nice. Those that are nice seem to have become friends. The others… well, let's say that my EM guns got a decent warm-up. A few low-power EM pulses scared them off._

_What kind of creatures? Ariana asked curiously. __So far, we've seen moving mirrors and staircases, a poltergeist, a **phoenix, and a hat that can speak with telepathy.**_

Carol chuckled. _I know… the startle when you met the phoenix went straight through whatever blocks I erected around the end of the link of you two. Now, as to what I've seen. The unicorns are nice and friendly. The dragons seem to be indifferent to the 'White Muggle Car', and there was a giant three-headed hellhound that tried to eat me. Needless to say, I would have given him indigestion, so I convinced him otherwise._

April and Ariana chuckled audibly. _Unicorns, dragons and at least one Cerberus, April listed. __Cool. This place is so cool… I can't wait till the classes start. I want to know the who, what, and how of this place._

_You're not alone, Ariana said with conviction. __Who knows when summoning a dragon can be a handy thing to do. And if the unicorn-horn really **is as powerful as legends have it, who knows what breakthroughs we can make?**_

April nodded solemnly. _We might even lengthen our lives… we're almost halfway. Only eighteen more years before it's over._

_Death at thirty-five, Ariana said. Perking up, she continued, __at least we'll be able to say that we've lived. We've seen the world, learned pretty much anything we could get our hands on, and have our bodies and minds under flawlessly perfect control._

_Hey, guys… Carol said at the moment, her mind obviously watching something else. April and Ariana immediately connected to the white car's sensors, and watched through the AI's senses._

_What is THAT? April choked._

_I think that would qualify as a 'troll', Carol noted dryly. April and Ariana's rhythm stocked, and the twosome came to an abrupt halt. To anyone who would have seen them, the two girls went from a twenty kilometers an hour pace to a dead-stop in a single step. __And I think that raising a club and howling constitutes as 'friendly', Carol added as the beast came running towards her. __Stun-charge. Loaded._

_It…eh… shrugged off the charge, April commented, swallowing hard._

_Incapacitation charge. Loaded, Carol noted, firing again. The Ai let out a breath of relief. __It's gone. Good. I wouldn't have liked that thing to dent my bodywork, or scratch my paintjob._

April and Ariana chuckled, and continued their leisurely jog of twenty kilometers an hour around the lake, the conversation picking up as if it had never changed topics.

***London, England: Watcher Headquarters***

A short, ugly fat man dressed in tweed walked into a large assembly room that was currently filled with only 5 members. The fat man, named Quentin Travers, walked and greeted the head council of the Watchers' Council, "The second slayer, Faith Spencer, has been released from prison."

"Why have we not been notified of this development sooner?" one of the members spoke softly, but with much anger.

"Her release was unexpected and we were busy following the development with Miss Summers."

"Yes, what is the development with Ms. Summers, and why did you not request more resources to Watch over the other Slayer?" another of the members asked angrily.

"Miss Summer was in some sort of shock and was not performing her Slayer duties back in May, but the situation changed. When released from prison, Miss Spencer confronted Miss Summers and they now currently perform their Slayer duties together." He ignored the last question.

"Has Miss Spencer shown any signs of turning against the other Slayer?"

"No. As of now they currently residing in the same residence and have been performing their duties…" before Travers could continue he was interrupted by the head of the council.

"Who performed the Slayer's duties why she was incapacitated? And why did we not hear of this sooner?"

"None of the Slayer's friends helped with the duties. An unknown force did keep the forces of darkness at bay. We tried to find and contain this force, but it eluded us. As to why the council was not informed before of this development, I assumed you would want more information."

"You assume too much Quentin; do not overstep your place again. What is your assessment of the entity that took the Slayer's duties? Also, what do you propose we do with the current Slayers?"

"We could not find any information on the entity, other than it took out a large force of the demons. I would assume it is a threat to the future of the council and any means to capture it, if it appears again, should be taken. As to the Slayers, I propose we eliminate the Slayer Faith as she is an element that can not be controlled."

"Yes, I agree with the assessment that we need to capture this entity, but I do not agree with eliminating the Slayer Faith Spencer at this time. We still need to keep ties with Miss Summers and she is currently protecting the other Slayer. But keep surveillance on them and report anything significant directly and only to us, the rest of the council does not need to be aware of current developments."

Not happy that Faith was not going to be removed, Travers acknowledged what the council agreed on and turned and left. Making plans on how he could find a way to remove the unpredictable Slayer. _The council was made to control the Slayers. Faith must be removed.'_

End of Part 1 of Hogwart's style


	10. Part 3 complete

TITLE: Xander Muyo: Hogwart's Style Part2 AUTHOR: Top_Quark E-MAIL: shadow_quark@yahoo.com and Enterprise1701_d@yahoo.com FEEDBACK: please, helps me write  
  
N/A: Thanks to enterprise, whitewerewolf, and the others that helped with this fic This is the first in a series of stories that will be in this AU. A big thanks to the people at http://studiesinwords.de/, where I got to go over and use the scripts for Btvs. I use the scripts and changed them around to fit my story.- TQ  
  
DISCLAIMER: All characters form Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel belong to Joss! The Tenchi Muyo characters belong to AIC or Pioneer. I don't claim ownership. I just wanted to create a story, don't be mad. I don't own Harry Potter and his associates. I don't own anything from harry potter, but I due use the descriptions from the books and also some of what the teachers say. AN: thanks to tex james who helped me with this part and to enterprise who helped me fix the last scene. THIS PART HAS NOT BEEN BETA'D SO YOUR HAVE BEEN WARNED. ***Dawn's First day of school***  
  
Dawn woke up earlier than usual; it was going to be a long day. But the excitement she felt at it being her first day in high school was almost overwhelming. High School! Wow! She quickly got dressed having spent hours the day before picking out her outfit.  
  
As she walked in the kitchen she noticed Faith on the couch staring at the television. "Good morning Faith," yelled Dawn as she passed the dark Slayer. Since her talk with Faith a few days ago she had been trying to be civil to her new housemate.  
  
Unfortunately, Faith had other things on her mind and totally ignored Dawn. not as much as ignored her, rather than just plainly not hearing her, so deep was Faith in her own thoughts. Not one to be ignored, Dawn walked in front of the TV, "Yo Faith! I said Good Morning!"  
  
Snapping out of her thoughts Faith straightened herself. Dawn really has to get over this attention thing; she wants all the attention all the time. Even I wasn't that bad. "Hey Dawnie, what's up?" Faith gave her what she called her new happy face. She had been smiling more and laughing more than she had in long time, the only problem is what she found out a few weeks ago.  
  
Noticing Faith's change in emotions, Dawn sat next to her, but instead of asking what was wrong, she said, "Guess today is my first day of school. I'm so excited. High school, wow!"  
  
"It's not its all its cracked up to be," Faith replied, smiling back at Dawn.  
  
"Yeah, well, we'll see," Dawn got up and left for school.  
  
"Girl's in her own little world," Faith said as she gathered herself and left to go train at the Magic Box.  
  
***Hogwart's Training Room***  
  
Xander had finally dropped his attitude and decided to give his grandfather a chance to explain himself. 'Besides I will finally have family that actually cares.'  
  
Katsuhito pulled out his wand and waved it, "Accio." Out of no nowhere a tray with five cups and a container of tea appeared. "Have some tea with me and we'll discuss what happened last night."  
  
Xanders' eyes popped out when they saw the tray appear out of nowhere. "You wouldn't be able to get my playboy magazines I left at home would you," said Xander2 with a mischievous smile.  
  
"No, No, I want a box of Twinkies. Oh, oh I know what about those cookies Willow used to make for us," both Xanders smiled at as they thought of their oldest friend.  
  
Katsuhito just calmly sat down and placed the tray in front of him. "When you two are done I will be ready to start the discussion." His expression and mood never wavering.  
  
The two Xander's looked at each other and shrugged before sitting down on the opposite side of their grandfather.  
  
"I would think it would be appropriate for you to become one again before we get a visitor or two," Katsuhito said calmly. The Xanders' again shrugged and combined into one. "First of all, I would like to welcome you into the Masaki Clan," he bent over and filled two of the cups with the steaming tea and handed a cup to Xander.  
  
Xander sipped the tea and smiled, "This is great, and you and Giles would get along great." He watched as Katsuhito just sipped his tea patiently. "So how is it that you're my grandfather and you can touch my Akiri-ken?"  
  
"I see you consider it your own, then you have bonded," it was more of a statement than a question. "You do know that its previous owner is still living." Not waiting for Xander to answer he continued. "My daughter, my lovely Achika was your mother," Xander finally saw a definite change in his features. "You where taken from the hospital, the day of your birth, we searched for you but we could not find you. Even Tsunami said you could not be found."  
  
Finally not waiting for his grandfather to continue Xander cut in, "My mother?" a tear left his left eye. "As to not finding me, I don't think Tsunami had a choice. The world wouldn't be whole right now if I had not been where I was, even if my world was destroyed." Noticing that Xander would not say more on the subject, Katsuhito decided to continue.  
  
"I can handle the Akiri-ken, as all in the Royal Family could but only you and its previous wielder, your grandfather Akiri, can totally master and totally control it. Your grandfather resides in California, and you will meet with him in time." The last statement was more a request in the light tone that he said it.  
  
"Yes I would love that, but my training must come first, then I can finally start to put my family's past together." The conversation took a turn from the family and what happened in the past to what he was doing at Hogwarts. Katsuhito sensed that Xander did not want to go totally into his past, but was content to know that Katsuhito was in fact his grandfather.  
  
For five minutes they discussed magic, until Katsuhito brought up the power of Jurai. "Alexander, if you please can I test you to see how great the power of Jurai runs through you. This will help later in your training."  
  
Deciding he had nothing to lose Xander agreed to go with what was requested of him. He got up and stretched his legs and walked to where he had deposited his belongings. He reached into his duffle bad and pulled out the Akiri-ken. "Now what do you need me to do, you know this comes in handy when I have to scratch my back," he chuckled but stopped when he noticed how serious Katsuhito was. 'Damn this guy is to serious, I am going to have to make him lighten up.'  
  
"Just calm your mind, extend it to become synced with the Akiri-ken," Katsuhito waited as Xander did as he was told. Xander closed his eyes and pushed all the thoughts from his mind and made a mental picture of his sword, he felt the small pulse of energy that it emitted and synced his thoughts and heart to the pulse. Katsuhito inwardly smiled as he saw the sword elongate and pulse with more energy. "Well done Alexander, now ignite the sword," Xander concentrated a little and two beams of energy where released at the sides of the Akiri-ken. Xander grinned inwardly and thought, 'well I know what happens when I use the blade, let's see what happens when I use a little bit more power.' Putting too much energy into igniting the sword the beams flew outwards and went through the walls, before he could stop it.  
  
To say he was shocked would not totally describe the feeling that went to the former Prince of Jurai, 'Interesting, very interesting.' "Well done Alexander, we will start our training soon. I believe its time for you to attend breakfast at the Great Hall. I will see you after your meal as we must make a trip to Hogsmeade to purchase the goods that you and the two ladies will need." Katsuhito turned and walked out of the room.  
  
'What just happened,' pondered Xander trying to shake off the shock of what he had down with his weapon. He gathered his things and decided to go straight to eat as he realized that it was getting late and that he had talked too long with his grandfather.  
  
***Magic Box***  
  
Faith walked into the local magic shop and started to straighten out the store, before its opening. 'I am so glad G-man is letting me work here, god I would hate it if I had to work for a fast food joint. It even helps me bond with B more too,' just as she thought that Buffy walked into the shop.  
  
"Hey Faith how's your morning,"  
  
"Five-by-Five, B. Key girl was all chippy about being her first day of high school."  
  
"Yeah, it actually made me feel sick, how can some one be so excited about high school. I hope I wasn't like that." Buffy made the gagging gesture as she prepared to open the store, but then a voice from the back of the store answered her.  
  
"Actually, you where exactly like that when I first met you. If I remember correctly, it had to do with the horrible thing you call a sport, cheerleading." Buffy groaned at Giles reply and Faith just laughed at her discomfort.  
  
"Thanks, Giles. That really helped," she laughed it off and turned the sign from closed to open. "Giles, Willow said she can't come in for her shift today, I'll told her I would cover for her."  
  
Giles just sighed, "Very well, I do wish she would set her priorities straight." He still wondered if hiring all of them was wise, they tended to just switch their schedules around as they saw fit without consulting him, 'It's as if I have lost control of my own establishment. At least they never leave me to run it alone.' "Thank god for small favors," he whispered.  
  
"Did you say something Giles," Buffy asked as she picked up a heavy box of magic books.  
  
He sighed again and walked behind the register to check if any change was needed. Buffy just shrugged and made her way to the basement.  
  
***Hogwart's Great Hall***  
  
Harry and Ron made their way to their table and sat next to their friend Hermione, one on either side of her. "Have you too made up yet," she asked the two boys as they sat down. Being friends with those two had been fun, tiring, and impossible at times but she would never change anything that happened to them.  
  
"Yes, ma'am," they both chuckled.  
  
***Sunnydale Somewhere***  
  
"The Slayers must die. Will you help?" A figure was totally counseled by the desk and darkness in the room.  
  
"Why do you want them dead human, they help your kind?" Another counseled figure spoke.  
  
"I have my reasons, but I want the one named Dawn for myself," a smile could be seen coming from the man.  
  
"Very well, but if this turns to be a trap we will have some one come after you," The group of demons left without further word.  
  
As he saw the group leave, he reached down to a book, "all the pieces are falling into place, I will finally get what I have always wanted."  
  
***Great Hall ***  
  
After finishing their jog and stretching the girls when back to the get some food. Seeing the girls Pumpkin waved them over, "Hey April. Arianna sit here." He motioned to the two seats on both his sides.  
  
'Seems like some one wants to sit next to both of us, Ari,' smiled April.  
  
'Can you blame him,' Ari smiled back through their mind link.  
  
They sat next to him and proceeded to gather food. They noticed Harry, Ron, and Hermione a few seats away, "Hello Ron, Harry, and Hermione. Why don't you sit here."  
  
The three friends got up took their plates and sat across from Pumpkin and the girls. "Your George and Fred's friend right," Ron said as he extended his hand as a friendly gesture. Pumpkin nodded and shook Ron's hand. Harry and Hermione said their good mornings to everyone and sat down.  
  
"Who are George and Fred," asked a curious April.  
  
Laughing Pumpkin, "well you see their Ron's older brothers and the self proclaimed super jokesters of Hogwarts, a title I plan to take for myself this year." Everyone laughed as he wiggled his eyebrow and continued to eat their breakfast.  
  
***Summers' Home***  
  
The commotion in the Summers' house was large, as large boxes where moved all around the house. Willow and Tara had decided to move into the house in order to help with the bills and to have the whole gang under one roof. "I still don't think this is a good idea," whined Willow. She still did not feel comfortable living with Faith, "But honey you know we have to do this for Buffy." Tara's calming voice helped subside Willow's anger at living with the dark slayer. "Ok, but she better not get in my way." 'Skank!'  
  
***Great Hall, Hogwarts, 30 minutes before breakfast is over***  
  
A sweaty Xander came running through the Great Hall and sat next to Harry. All of them turned and stared at him, he was wearing his training gi and his hair was a mess and plastered on his head from the sweat. "Got to eat, definitely got to eat," he said as he caught his breath and started to pile food on his plate. Before he took a bite, he turned towards everyone and said good morning to them.  
  
April and Arianna smiled in amusement, 'he sure knows how to make an entrance, and damn he can eat.'  
  
Arianna agreed with her life partner and continued to eat, 'yes indeed.'  
  
Harry and his two friends turned towards each other and chuckled, "So Xander what's with the get up and being all sweaty," Pumpkin chuckled as he noticed Xander get irritated at being interrupted.  
  
Harry noticed Hermione looking at Xander and how she admired him in the sweaty clothing. 'I don't like this one bit.' He was startled at his own thoughts and pushed the thoughts away.  
  
Xander only grunted at Pumpkin and continued to eat, he needed to recharge himself after the heavy work out. He also noticed that he was more tired and hungry after he did what his grandfather asked him to demonstrate. 'I've never been this drained when I used my Jurain powers.' Shrugging it off like he did to most things he continued to eat.  
  
Finishing up just before the food and plates disappeared, he made a content moan and turned to his friends, "So how is everyone and why are you staring at me?" He raised his eyebrow at them and gave them a goofy smile.  
  
"You did just run in here and stuff your face, with only a quick good morning. Can you say RUDE!" chuckled Pumpkin as he noticed everyone agree with him.  
  
Xander's face reddened and he quickly apologized, "Yeah, well I got caught up with something and I almost missed breakfast. That would have been a nightmare," he grinned at his hopefully new friends. Before anyone else could ask any questions, Hermione yelped, "We are going to be late to class, we have to hurry." Her face turned pink when she noticed everyone staring at her after her outburst. Giggling a little at Xander, she collected her thinks and motioned for Harry and Ron to follow her. But before they left Harry turned towards Xander and the two girls, "What class do you have next?"  
  
"Well we have a double class of Herbology next, but we do not have the materials needed to proceed to the class," replied April.  
  
"Hey I have the same class, can I look at your schedules," Xander grinned at the girls. The two girls gave the list of their classes to Xander.  
  
"Hmm looks like we have the same schedule but I don't understand how we can fit all these classes in one day," He started reading the list of classes.  
  
Herbology = Botany/Gardening Care of Magical Creatures = Zoology/Veterinary Science Arithmancy = Arithmetic/Mathematics Potions = Chemistry/Cookery/Pharmacology Astronomy = (Astro)physics/Mathematics/Geography (of the Heavens) Charms = Latin/Drama/Kinetics DADA = Physical Education/Chemistry/Physics Divination = Mathematics/Psychology/Philosophy/Lunacy Ancient Runes = History/Logic/Mathematics/Linguistics Transfiguration = Physics/Biology (bioenergetics)/Physical Education History of Magic = History/Tolerance (of boredom) Muggle Studies = History/Sociology/Technology etc.  
  
"Well when we went for our run this morning we ran into Professor Dumbledore and asked him that very question. He said that we would have the first four classes in either single session or double classes, and when we finished them we would move to the other classes. Since they never had anyone move through courses so quickly he had to just give us the list and have us move through class at our own pace." Arianna responded to his question.  
  
Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Pumpkin where shocked at what they heard, too shocked to say anything only Hermione was able to speak, "Professor Dumbledore goes for a run in the morning." The girls could see that the four where shocked at knowing their headmaster taking runs.  
  
April smiled, "Yes indeed and from what we saw he is very much in shape." He had kept up with them throughout their conversation and then had slowed down when they had finished, which had amazed the two girls. April turned her attention towards Xander, "When will we be able to obtain the supplies we need." She was still a little wary of the young man after the display in the headmaster's office, but after talking to Arianna they decided to just watch him and see what would happen. 'We can't let down our guard, but we don't have to be rude either,' she mentally sent to Arianna who agreed with her.  
  
Having his question almost answered and not wanting to be late Harry said goodbye and left with his two friends.  
  
"Well I have to be going also, see you later and maybe in class," Pumpkin got up and waved to them and left.  
  
Now left alone with the two beautiful girls Xander grinned, "In a few minutes we will meet with Katshiutio and we will go to Hogsmeade to get what we need. I believe you'll remember him from last night. So I guess we just sit and wait and relax." His lope-sided grin made the girls smile and they settled themselves across him.  
  
The girls wondered why he talked about the Professor so formally, "Excuse me Alexander, why do you talk so informally about the Professor. I have come to learn to respect those that will help you in the future and his title suggest he will." One of the girls asked him.  
  
"Well that's easy, he's my grandfather," he left it at that since he didn't want to get into explanations.  
  
'Ari, that doesn't explain anything. I don't think there on the best terms. Its almost like he doesn't fully view him as his grandfather.'  
  
'I totally agree, something else is going on here. We'll just have to wait and see what comes of it. The display they made on in the office makes me thing they don't really know each other.'  
  
***Hogsmeade  
  
Xander and the girls followed Professor Katshuito towards Hogsmeade, as they made their ways towards the gate entrance to Hogsmeade. The group had been silent throughout their little journey from Hogwarts to the little town.  
  
"We'll be traveling to London, using a port key that I was able to acquire. The trip should be eventful to say the least." Katshituo then made his way towards a little hut behind the gate.  
  
The girls and Xander where wondering what a port key was, 'How can a key take us all the way to London.'  
  
'Magic is intriguing,' replied Arianna. They both looked at Xander who was still in his gi and was calmly waiting but also studying their guide.  
  
He couldn't understand his grandfather, 'he's so damn calm.'  
  
Katshuito acquired the port key and made his way to his three charges, he examined them as he walked closer to them. The two girls where a mystery to him, even for someone who had seen many things in his lifetime, they seemed to confuse him. They were mentally strong but something held them back from enjoying their surroundings, 'they seem to always have their guard up, never letting it slip.' His grandson, was another enigma that he could not decipher because he put up a front of happiness but in reality he held so much pain that he had only seen it once before, 'Yes, but I hope I did my best for her.' His mind started to wonder about this past and the choices he had to make.  
  
The four touched the port key, which was a book, and felt the pull on their belly buttons as the world around them went black for a couple of seconds. They found themselves on the sidewalk of Charing Cross Road. The girls looked around and saw the sign of Charing Cross Road and quickly deduced that they where in London, 'a quick way to travel, I approve. Beats the hell out of planes,' Ari sent to April.  
  
"Ok where's the magic, where's the fun and where's the girls," Xander said out loud as he noticed the tension that the little traveling magic had caused. Ignoring Xander's comment Katshuito, noticed that the girls smiled at Xander's little comment and that made him smile. Something about the girls reminded him of his Achika and how strong she was at their age.  
  
The group followed their teacher and made their way towards any empty lot, which confused the three young adults. They finally made it to the area in front of the grassy lot and Katshuito turned towards them and smiled, "just look and concentrate." All three looked and couldn't see anything, a few seconds later though April and Arianna smiled at their teacher and waited for Xander to make a comment. Xander noticed everyone looking at him and was not happy, "What? What? There's nothing there and I'll prove it to you," he walked into the grass but hit something hard and fell onto his ass. "What on the Hellmouth," he whispered. The girls having superior hearing compared to normal humans heard him and wondered what a Hellmouth, 'we must look into this later,' April sent to Arriana.  
  
Out of nowhere appeared a small tavern where the lot used to be; well it seemed to just appear to Xander. The wooden old sign with the name Leaky Cauldron was above the door. The quartet walked into the pub and where basically ignored as they made their way towards the back into a small yard and a large brick wall stood in front of them.  
  
Tapping just the right brick in the wall, "Three up...two across..." said Katshuito "will reveal an archway which is a portal into Diagon Alley", a long cobbled street appeared at the other side of the arch with a strange and exciting assortment of shops and restaurants, some of which have tables outside with brightly colored umbrellas.   
  
They quickly made their way through the street and passed many ships and restaurants until they made their way to Gringott's Wizarding Bank. "Wait here and I will acquire the funds needed for today's activities." Their professor walked into the bank as they waited outside and looked through the street and saw so many witches and wizards walking about and entering the establishments.  
  
***Sunnydale*** After a hard day working at the Magic Box and trying to control Willow's anger after Faith asked her "so Red, What happened to the computer geek we love." Buffy walked into her room, sat on her bed heavily, and looked around her room. Getting up for a moment, she picked up a picture from the bedside table. Staring at it a small tear leaves her face as she looks at a photo of herself, Xander, and Willow. all of them were smiling. Putting it back, she goes over to the wall. There she has a bulletin board covered with more pictures of the Scoobies in various combinations and in all of them they were smiling. Suddenly the images change to her horror, the flesh melts away from the smiling faces to reveal the faces of dead skeletons. Buffy closes her eyes in anguish, and opens them again a moment later. Seeing that the photos are back to normal, she places it down and lies down as she tries to rest. Even as she does a shadow or mist hovers above her that has been gaining strength for the last couple of months. Recently moving in to the Summer home, Willow and Tara are sleeping peacefully, in what used to be Ms. Summer's room. Suddenly something crashes against the framed picture above the bed. The shattered glass falls on Willow and Tara, and they sit up quickly, and a little angry.  
  
"Buffy? Faith?" Willow called out with venom when mentioning the dark slayer. Faith's silhouette could be seen at the foot of the bed, lit by moonlight.  
  
In a low hoarse voice, "What did you do? Do you know what you did? You're like children. Bitches! Filthy little bitches, self-righteous. You want to cut my throat? Pat my head when I'm around, but you want me dead. Don't you?" Willow and Tara were now sitting up in bed staring in fear. Faith grabs a crystal ball off a nearby table and throws it at them. Willow and Tara shriek as it smashes on the wall above their heads.  
  
Faith looked at Willow, "Your hate, I can smell it. I can taste it. Why can't you accept me?! You want me dead, always did."  
  
  
  
"Oh my god, oh my god," Tara was frightened because she didn't know what was going to happen to them as Faith had never tried to hurt her. She knew that Willow had caused her some pain though. 'I hope she meant it when she said she wasn't here for revenge.'  
  
"You were stained, you aren't perfect. I know what you did! You'll try to turn him against me!" Faith stared at Willow, anger visible in your features.  
  
Willow jumps out of the bed and turns on the lights to get a better look at their attacker. However, as soon as the lights are on the rooms empty except for Willow and Tara. Faith is gone. Tara looks at the bed she's lying on and discovers something odd, "The glass. There's no glass."  
  
In Dawn's room, Faith is sleeping on the second bed they added to the room. A sliver of light appears as the door opens, revealing Faith asleep. Tara and Willow look around the room. They exchange a confused look, and then Willow pulls the door shut. Neither Dawn nor Faith wake up from the intrusion.  
  
"Okay, what in the frilly heck is going on?" Willow asked quietly. They had just entered their room again and she was totally freaked out.  
  
In a small voice Tara replied, "Maybe we dreamed it."  
  
Willow closed their door, "Right. Right. Wrong!" She then pointed to her head; "Different brains."  
  
"Oh yeah," came from the small voice of Tara. Tara goes to the table and touches the crystal ball, which is still intact. "Well ... what was it talking about? Did you understand it?"  
  
Feeling guilty, but not wanting to let go of her hatred for Faith, "Well, I understood the words, but ... no."  
  
Tara sees something behind Willow and gasps in fear. Willow turns to look to see some kind of distortion on the wall, moving across the wall toward the door, and then it's gone. "What was that?"  
  
Tara was extremely scared, as things where not on the happy side that she normally liked, "There's, there's something in the house."  
  
Looking around and trying to figure out what was going on, Willow turned towards her lover, "What is it after? Is it ... Faith?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
Finally not knowing what else to do Willow grabs the phone, "That's it, I'm gonna call. I hope Gile's up."  
  
***Diagon Alley***  
  
Xander and the girls had obtained just about everything they need, as Katshuito had given them a list of what they needed and the money necessary to buy the items. Xander followed the girls as they easily navigated through the shops to get what was necessary.  
  
"All we need to get are our wands, and we're done." Added Arriana as she mentally went through the list they where given and all the stuff they had bought already.  
  
"What about there, that seems like a good place to get them." April pointed an old shop with the words Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. on the top of the door. April turned around and smiled at Xander, "Thanks for carrying our stuff Alexander."  
  
"No prob, glad to help." He struggled with the bags and packages as he followed the girls towards the wand shop. He smiled at the tinkling bell that rang as they went into the shop, it reminded of the Magic Box's bell. It was a small place, but the whole placed was full of boxes of wands stacked to the ceiling.  
  
"Hello, you must Mister Masters." The old man behind the counter acknowledged their presence. He turned towards the girls, "Miss FromtheField and Miss Smith, I presume," his cheery voice was contagious and the group smiled at him.  
  
"This a bit unusual to have three students come and buy their supplies after school has begun, and just after I cleaned the place up." He smiled.  
  
The girls wondered what he meant about cleaning up, but shrugged it off. "For you Alexander, your wand was specially made at the request of Professor Dumbledore, as for you girls you will have to try out wands until we find one that fits both of you. Every Ollivander wand has a core made of magical substance. You see the wand choses the bearer, we don't know why but that is how it has always been." The old man pulled out a tape measure and stepped up to the girls. "Now may I please measure the arm that you will be your wand arm." The girls both raised their right arms and waited as he measured them.  
  
After going through half the store of wands the girls finally understood what he meant by "I just cleaned the place." Finding out what wand would work with them, was a disaster. The place was a total mess, every time they waved a wand, it would create a disaster of some kind. 'Arri, this is very boring and the destruction is very disturbing.'  
  
Finally the old wizard bought three boxes with him, and smiled at them, "I made these three wands out of special material given to me by Professor Dumbledore. Though he wouldn't tell me what, but anyway one of these is Alexander's wand. Its unusual to make a wand for a person before their first so I made three different wands from the same material and I hope it works for you." He placed them on the counter top and waved Xander over.  
  
'April I think he gave up with us, oh well its not like we need them. I read last night that they are just used as a focus point for our magic; we can just use our minds. We have trained them to focus easily.'  
  
'I agree, but I really did want one, I wanted to use it like we use our crystal swords, as magnifiers to our magic.'  
  
'Yes, oh well. Let's see how it works out for Alexander.' The girls moved to the side and watched as Xander opened the first box.  
  
Xander picked up the wand, he examined it and felt the texture, 'Tsuanmi, you gave part of yourself for the wands didn't you? I can feel your essence in them.' He didn't wave the wand or anything he just waited for the response from the ancient space tree.  
  
After a minute of wait the response finally came, 'Yes, Alexander I did.' That was the extent of the message and he knew she wouldn't say more. He placed the wand down and turned towards the others who where waiting patiently. "Didn't feel right." The old wizard raised an eyebrow, no one had ever been able to find out if the wand was compatible without at least one wave, but who was he to argue now.  
  
'Now that I wasn't expecting, April; There is something different about him, and I don't like it.'  
  
'We will see, my love.'  
  
Xander walked up the second wand and stared at it, he was looking for the same feeling that he got when wielding Akiri-ken. He knew that he needed a connection with his chosen weapon, if it was made from Tsunami. He placed it down and went to the last one; as soon as he picked it up he felt it. The same type of connection he had with Akiri-ken he felt from the wand, it was if it was singing to him and no one else would ever hear the beautiful sound. "This is it this is the one." He smiled and placed the wand back in the box, grabbed it, and stepped back as the girls still had to get their wands.  
  
The girls felt drawn to the other two wands, it was a strange feeling but they went with it. Accepting the call the wands where giving them, and feeling that it was not hostle they both grabbed the two remaining wands.  
  
Xander arched an eyebrow at this as he saw the girls wave their wands at the same time an two beautiful calming lights appeared above the wands. 'Tsunami I thought the wand was only for me, why can they use wands made of your material.' He waited and watched as the girls grinned and placed the wands in their packages. 'Tsunami I know you can hear me!' He was starting to get irritated by the silence from the Space Tree. Finally giving up on her, he walked up to the girls an congratulated them.  
  
"Cool, girls. It's nice to know that our wands come from the same material. Maybe it means where meant to be together," he joked and smiled at them at the same time wiggling his eyebrows suggestedly.  
  
"Sorry Alexander, but April is the only one for me." Replied Arianna seriously.  
  
"That is true Alexander, but your offer is nice." An equally serious April replied.  
  
Xander just stood there, his mind short circuit at the images of the two beautiful ladies in front of him together. His patented lopsided grin appeared and drool started to form on his mouth, when he was snapped out of it.  
  
'I think we he's lost to use April, maybe we should snap him out of it before anything embarrassing happens,' laughed Arrianna through their link.  
  
'True, so very true. But he looks so happy, I don't know if we should break him out of his daydream,' she laughed. She walked up to him and lightly tapped him on the shoulder. "Alexander we need to pay for our goods," she smiled and watched as he snapped out of his dream and looked around dazed.  
  
"What!.. Oh. Okay. Right," he blushed and composed himself and walked up to Ollivander and paid for the wands and thanked him.  
  
Old Ollivander watched the trio walk out and smiled, he knew he was only suppose to sell one of the wands, but the wands had chosen and who was he to disagree with them. Though he would have to inform Dumbledore. He watched them disappear around the corner and started to clean up his shop.  
  
As they walked out they noticed people running away from where they where headed. Xander quickened his pace and wondered what could cause a bunch of wizards and witches to run. He noticed the girls keeping up with him on his sides. 'They will be great friends I can tell.' "Well girls lets see what's happening, I hope we don't get in trouble, " he chuckled.  
  
"It's clearly not us who are creating trouble," April said with a faint smile, her sensitive ears picking up really disturbing sounds from ahead. "Dead ahead."  
  
"Right," Ariana said with a cold edge to her voice Xander hadn't heard before. The duo increased their pace, and Xander found himself straining to stay with them.  
  
They finally made it up to the disturbance and noticed three wizards in dark black cloaks. They where destroying the shops and also using magic on the running wizards, shaking his head in anger Xander turned towards the girls, "Stay her I'll take care of this easily." Hoping they would listen and that they would help if he needed it, he ran and was about pulling out his Akiri-ken but thought it be a bad idea. 'Yeah like I need to explain how I have a energy weapon!' He had one goal on his mind, 'Take them out, no mercy! Don't kill, but don't get killed!' Over and over that played out in his mind as he reached them, one of them noticed him.  
  
The wizard turned towards Xander and pointed his wand at him and a green light flowed towards him, Xander saw the stream of light coming towards him and rolled to the side at the last moment. He then got up and charged the wizard and he was still shocked that some one had dodged his spell. Xander took no time to measure up his situation.  
  
"I keep feeling something isn't right," April whispered to Ariana.  
  
"He's not fighting with all his heart," Ariana replied. "He's holding back for some reason. I can feel it."  
  
He noticed the two wizards on the right and left where busy torturing the running witches to notice him, 'Good it will be one on one.' He ran up to the wizard and before he could try another spell, Xander kicked the wand out of the wizard's hand. 'Good that's out of the way, no to make him pay.' Letting out all his pent up anger that he had been holding in for the last few months out, he punched the wizard in the chest and then before he stumbled back, he kicked his right knee in. Xander flinched at hearing the bone break, but didn't pause as he followed the falling wizard with a kick to the head, knocking him out. "Pitiful, you would think that they only rely on magic. Just pitiful."  
  
"Special Operations," April whispered.  
  
"Krav Maga," Ariana agreed. "Israeli Special Forces Combat Style. I wonder where he learnt it?"  
  
"Maybe his father was in the SEALS," April answered. "They have regular exchange programs... perhaps an Israeli instructor taught it to his father, who passed it on to Alexander."  
  
Ariana shrugged in agreement. "Possibly."  
  
Fighting the urge to split in two Xander watched as both wizards turned towards him, 'Shit now I am in trouble, I guess the quicker this is over the better.' He concentrated and a faint bluish light circled him, it appeared to look like a faint but beautiful cloud surrounded him. The wizards backed up surprised at the skill of the person they where fighting, they believed a spell was about to be directed on them. Suddenly the light disappeared and its place stood two Xanders back to back, each facing one of the wizards.  
  
"What just happened?" April asked Ariana.  
  
"He split into two," Ariana replied deadpan.  
  
"That's not possible," April said.  
  
"Magic?" Ariana asked.  
  
"Nope," April answered. "No magic involved... Not any kind I can sense, anyway."  
  
"Who *IS* that guy?" Ariana asked.  
  
"Possibly someone who is just as bad as we are," April answered a little sadly. "Will we ask him what happened when this is over?"  
  
"I sure as hell would like to know how he did that," Ariana said.  
  
"Then we'll ask him," April said.  
  
"Cool, Kawaii."  
  
Pushing the nagging feeling that he just got himself in big trouble away, Xander1 charged the wizard on the right. "Show me what you got big boy, come on put the little wooden stick down and show fight me like a man." Noticing that the wizard was ignoring him and getting ready to use his wand Xander jumped and kicked him in the throat, "Oh no you don't, I said no magic."  
  
On the other side Xander2 was having fun pushing around the wizard, he had gotten the wand away from him and was just punching him lightly and just pushing him around. "You know you should fight back, this is boring." 'You First, this boring. They can't fight; they rely on their magic too much. I am going to play with him for a while.'  
  
'Damn it, dumbass. Just finish him off. We don't have time for fun, look over there the girls are studying us like where science experiment. You know how I hate explaining things.' Xander 1 quickly knocked out the wizard as he was still holding his throat and coughing. 'Man we can't even use the techniques Tsunami taught us, this is pathetic. Vamps fight with more skill.'  
  
Turning towards his counterpart he just waited and watched as he continued to push the wizard around and started kicking him in the ass. "Damn it finish it already!" yelled Xander1.  
  
"Fine your no fun," Xander2 spun the wizard around kicked him in the gut and elbowed him on the back knocking him out from the pain. It seemed to a blur and he was proud that he did it so quickly. Both the Xanders stood next to each other and combined before quickly running up to the girls, "Lets get out of here, before we get in trouble."  
  
April and Ariana did run along with Xander, April flanking him on the right and Ariana on the left. A single thought went into the links they now carried in their minds.  
  
"Alexander, how did you split in two?" April asked amicably as they ran, breath as normal as if she were leaning against a wall.  
  
"And why didn't we detect any magic while you did it?" Ariana asked, on a tone similar to April's. 'Shit, what to tell them!' "Well it's a long story, I'll tell you about it some time," he smiled at them. All the anger and frustration he had, disappeared as soon as the battle was over. 'That was way too easy. Buff, could have taken them out easily and so much faster.' His facial expression darkened as he thought of one of women he had left behind.  
  
April and Ariana exchanged a look of understanding.  
  
Theatrically, both looked in opposite directions. "No-one is hearing us," April said on a comfortable tone.  
  
"And it will take us quite a while to get back to Hogwarts, even at this pace," Ariana added. "Please, do tell us."  
  
"Well a friend tried to help me out once, and a spell backfired and I can now permanently split in two." He said, hoping that would satisfy their curiosity for now. He was starting to get tired, "Damn, Hellmouth," he whispered hoping they didn't hear his last response. 'I have to stop saying that automatically, it would probably freak them out.'  
  
"So it is magic," April whispered thoughtfully. "A side-effect, rather than a full effect. That's why there was no magic to be sensed."  
  
Ariana simply nodded, then turned back to Xander. "What's a Hellmouth?"  
  
Xander stopped running, 'Shit she heard me.' "Ah well, you see... Ahh. well its what I called my hometown. It was a really shitty existence." He started up his run again and they made it to the exit of Diagon Alley. "Well the Prof. said he would meet us in the pub, lets go wait for him."  
  
"I see," April and Ariana answered, exactly at the same time.  
  
"We can relate to that," April answered sadly, offering no further explanation.  
  
Turning towards the girls, he gave them a sad smile and they walked into the pub took a table and waited for the Professor to come get them.  
  
***Sunnydale*** Falling out of his bed, Giles got up cursed and grabbed the ringing phone, "Hello?"  
  
On the other side Willow could be heard yelling into the phone, much to Giles irritation, "Giles, it's me, Willow. We were just attacked." Hearing that they where attacked he got himself straightened up and fully awake. "Attacked? A vampire?" "No, it was Faith. Or something that looked like her." To Giles Willow sounded hysterical, but this was how she always reacted. "Can you explain it to me, and calm yourself a little." This time it was Tara who answered, "Like she was possessed." Then Willow cut in which confused Giles, 'Couldn't only one of them talk.' "And then she just disappeared, a-and, and we saw something... a little ... there's something in the house." "In the house? All right, Willow, you need to get out of there, just get everyone out." Giles was really worried about them, and hoped they would take his advice. "Wake up Buffy, Faith, and Dawn. Don't make a big deal- Giles hears a laugh in his kitchen and goes to investigate; he is shocked what he sees. A small tear leaves from his eye, "J..J..Jenny," He cries out as he sees her holding a knife and moving towards him. She takes the knife and cuts her face and continues laughing. "No, Jenny don't hurt herself," he cries as more tears leave his eyes. He moves to try to touch her but she disappears as soon as he reaches her. "Noooo!" he cried out. Unknown to him a grayish-white bulge was above him, and it shimmered before disappearing. "Giles, Giles?" Willow screamed into the phone. She had heard him scream and she was really worried. ***Snape's Class***  
  
Xander and the girls finally made it to their first class, after dropping of the materials they had purchased they had ran to their next class hoping they would not interrupt the class as they walked in.  
  
They were beautiful, and he knew he'd end up teasing them, but he knew that his heart belonged to others. As he pushed the pain way, he walked into the classroom full of first years.  
  
The room quieted down as they entered, well it would have if it had been noisy. The only sound had been coming from The Professor and he had quieted down when the three entered, and he was not happy at being interrupted.  
  
"How dare you interrupt my class? Have you no respect! Ten points each of Gryffindor!!!!" Most of the first years groaned as a few had already lost points just because Snape happen to dislike the Gryffindors. The Slytherin girls in the classroom snickered and giggled, while the boys just drooled at the sight of April and Arriana.  
  
April straightened her stance and bowed to Professor Snape, "We meant no disrespect and we humbly apologize." She righted herself and Arriana followed and copied exactly what April did.  
  
Snape and the rest of the students where completely shocked. The professor had never gotten that kind of respect before, but he wasn't going to let them get away without more punishment. 'Besides the boy didn't even apologize he just glared at me!' he thought as he tried to think of a punishment.  
  
Xander moved next to the girls, "why you bow to him, he's an ass. Pumpkin tells me he always tortures the Gryffindor's with punishments."  
  
"But Alexander, we have learned to give respect to our teachers, he may just feel under appreciated. I doubt he will be so mean if we just give him the respect due," whispered Arianna and he noticed April nod her approval of Ari's statement.  
  
Xander not having good experiences with teachers; he didn't agree with them but kept that to himself. 'What an ass? I don't like him, I mean we didn't deserve to lose points. Man I do so not like this class already. Willow would.' He facial features sadden as he thought about his bestest friend.  
  
"Your flattery will get you no where!! You will get ten more points deducted from Gryffindor and also you will have detention tonight!" His face was reddening, he would not be mocked or be made a joke of. 'As if students would truly show respect to me! Only Slytherin have ever actually taken the respect of one of their own.'  
  
Angry and not waiting for the girls to answer Xander got in front of Snape, "What is your damn problem, they said they where sorry. We didn't mean to be late, why the hell do you have to give us detention!" He really started hating Snape, what was his problem.  
  
"Ten more points off Gryffindor, and Mister Masters if you do not remove yourself from my site I will be forced to expel you!" Snape had never wanted to expel some more than this student, not even Potter pissed him off so much.  
  
"Fine I leave, but you know you don't have the power to expel me and the one with that power wouldn't do it." Xander left the room with a smile on his face as he saw the reaction his statement made. 'That's right, you know you can't do anything.'  
  
***Snape's Class*** '' (are mental conversations or the mental thoughts)  
  
Still fuming about what just happened, Snape calmed himself, and decided to continue with his lesson plan. And that plan was to torture the first years, with questions they could not possible know. "Well know that we seem to have some order in our class  
  
room. Let go back to the subject we where before being interrupted."  
  
`As far as classrooms go, this is the strangest one I've seen so far, Ari,' April thought to her partner.  
  
'It looks like a dungeon... our teacher must like this place a lot,'Ariana replied with quiet amusement.  
  
"Alright can anyone tell me what the swelling solution is and what its antidote is? Ten points to anyone who can answer this question." He knew no one could answer the question, `If they  
  
answer incorrectly I will deduct points, they must learn not to waste my time with wrong answers.' He looked around the room, and  
  
impatiently waited.  
  
"Well I am waiting, none of you took the time to learn any of this,"  
  
he asked angrily.  
  
`That's a second year question. No-one should be able to answer it. Think I should answer?' April quickly asked Arianna.  
  
`We might as well, Kawaii. We will be on a higher learning curve than anyone else. He might as well know that we can be rise to the challenge.'  
  
Raising her hand and preparing to answer the question April,  
  
noticed that the Professor was ignoring her. `That's not very nice,' She waited and waited.  
  
`Rude's more like it, Kawaii. He is very rude and he keeps  
  
complaining about no one wanting to answer the question, while you obviously have your hand raised.' Arianna was slightly annoyed, but figured that the professor had heard about their intelligence and he was trying to see if the other students could come up with something before picking April.  
  
"Well, as we don't have anyone that can answer the question," he turned towards the girls and noticed that both had their hands  
  
calmly up. `There is no way they know the answer, and now they are trying to further interrupt my class. Very well, they will see what happens to students who waste my time.' "Yes, what is it!"  
  
April calmly stood up, "Well the Swelling Solution, otherwise  
  
known as amplus medicamentum, will enlarge any part of any living tissue that it comes into contact with, in most cases to grotesque proportions. The only known cure is Deflating Draught, also known as deminuo haustus," she answered calmly before bowing and returning  
  
to her seat.  
  
To say he was shocked would be an understatement, but he did not  
  
show it to the classroom. He would not be made a fool of in his classroom. "Very well, can you tell me what Petrification is and  
  
how it is caused and what its cure is?"  
  
`He's testing us! Just like Yahiko! I think I'm going to like it  
  
here,' April said to Ariana, smiling slightly as she stood up to  
  
answer the question.  
  
`I think so too,' Ariana said with a small, almost identical smile.  
  
They continued the answer questions through the rest of the class session, as more questions where answered the angrier Snape would be.  
  
"Professor, if I may ask... we greatly appreciate your efforts in  
  
thoroughly testing our level of preparedness, but there are other  
  
students here, who without a doubt do not enjoy the same high level  
  
of intelligence as we do. Perhaps they would be better served with  
  
your attentions?" April asked when class neared its end. Just as she  
  
finished her question, the bell rang, and the two girls followed the  
  
rest of the students out of the room, leaving a thoroughly stunned  
  
Snape in their wake. 


	11. Part 4a

***Unknown Location***

She watched over the on goings on Earth, and smiled, "Yes, everything is falling into place. Soon the others will appear and then the fun will begin. Soon my family will be together."

***Halls of Hogwarts***

He was pissed off, 'what the hell is his problem anyway, the girls apologized and he still gave us attitude.' He continued along the hallway trying to calm himself, until he ran into trio of students. "Hey watch where you're going," he snapped, but calmed when he saw who it was, "Sorry guys, I am just having bad day."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione straightened themselves and shrugged off what happened and looked up at Xander. Harry wondered how someone could already be having a bad day already, 'It's only the first day.' 

Ron on the other hand noticed his agitation and knew why and where Xander had become agitated, "Let me guess, Snape," he chuckled. He himself had been on the receiving end of Snape's never ending torture of Gryffindor students.

"Yep, he kicked me out of class, and gave me detention too!" Again he tried to calm himself, before he made a fool out of himself, "But oh well, so where can a guy go to have fun," he said with a lopsided grin. 

Hermione gave a disapproving look at him at hearing that he got kicked out of class. She was about to say something about taking responsibility, when she caught his smile she couldn't help but smile back, 'He is cute.' 

"Well we just finished our Herbology class and were going back to the common room, before we go to lunch want to join us," Harry said.

"Sure I have nothing better to do, since it was a double class of Potions," he followed them through the hallways. "So tell me, where can I get a TV around here? I am dying to see some movies."

Harry and Hermione laughed, while Ron looked confused at the reference. "Well, you won't find any in this school," Hermione said to him and giggled at his reaction.

"No TV, no TV," he mumbled, "How am I suppose to relax and keep up with my favorite shows. Damn it, I'm going to miss Charmed."

Harry laughed, while Ron still had his confused blank look. "We have other things to entertain us."

"What's a TV?" finally getting the courage to ask, Ron waited for the answer.

Hermione turned towards Ron straightened herself and prepared to give a lecture on the TV. 

Harry stifled a laugh at seeing Hermione get prepared and waited to see what she would say.

"Well, it's a box that has pictures move. The muggle community seem to use it extensively and those that do nothing but watch this box are called couch potatoes or just lazy." She turned towards Xander and giggled, "Are you a couch potato?"

Ron gave her another blank look, "But don't we have that, I mean all our paintings and photographs move."

Hearing Hermione's frustration Xander cut her off before she started to another round of explanations, "You have to see it to understand, maybe when class is over I'll take you guys to see."

Before they started to move Xander asked a question he couldn't hold back. Xander looked at Ron and said, "Have you ever seen Star Wars?"

"No, what's Star Wars," asked a confused Ron.

Shaking his head in horror and disappointment Xander just started walking. "Just a movie. Just a movie." 

They all quietly walked toward the room, Ron was wondering what a movie was. But then he remembered Harry and Hermione explaining it to him last year. While Xander was wondering why the wizard community hid itself so thoroughly, 'What's the big deal there are magic users out there, why does this community hide?'

***Snape's class***

Having assimilated the knowledge of the first year lessons the night before, they thought the class was a little on the easy side. Potions was extremely easy for them as it resembled chemistry. 'All we have to do is follow the instructions and the formulas and the results will appear.'

'Exactly Ari, this seems so trivial really.'

Snape had finally given up on stumping the girls and so gave them more work to finish before class ended.

***Gryffindor Common Room***

The trio made their way into the common room with Xander following them from behind. He had calmed a lot from his encounter with Snape, but he still didn't want to let it go. That confused him too; he usually let things slide.

He picked the chair nearest to the fire place and just stared at the burning coal for a while, things haven't been like he thought they would be. He had expected to enjoy the school and get totally absorbed by his training, like he did the past few months, 'It's different here.' Tsunami did have a way to calm him and have him focus on his training, but here and now he was totally unfocused; all he thought about was his friends back home. 'I failed you Faith, I am so sorry. I failed you too, Buffy. I failed them all.' He continued to think about his friends and wondering how they where doing. He didn't know how he could look them in the face, 'I used Faith, and abandoned them all. The least I could have told them I was leaving. Even Deadboy had the guts to tell Buffy before he left.'

'You're homesick aren't you,' he heard the voice of the ship that had been helping him. The soft calming voice made him smile.

'Yeah, I am. I miss my friends, the way I left was so wrong. I don't know how much longer I can keep it up. It's just different here and the kids here are great. Oh man did I just call them kids, I am getting old.' He mentally groaned, but smiled when he heard a soft giggle.

'What's with all the giggling, I didn't know that a ship could giggle,' he smiled as he heard her sigh.

'Alexander I would like you to meet someone, she is my other half,' she replied cryptically, 'close your eyes and you will be able to converse with her.'

Xander closed his eyes and waited, wondering what would happen next and what was going on. As he closed them, he instantly saw himself inside the ship Tsunami. 'This is a mental representation of my ship,' he heard from an unknown voice.

He looked around and smiled at the familiar surroundings, he always felt calm and comforted in the ship and the mental image had the same effect. He looked at the beautiful young woman in front of him; her blue hair flowed down her back and reached all the way to her knees. Her pink eyes sparkled and displayed her mischievous nature. She resembled Tsunami very closely, except the two emblems on her forehead were triangular in nature instead of circular. "Are you Tsunami too?" he asked, not knowing what else to ask. He tried to brush off his errant thoughts, 'She's almost as cute as Tsunami... I loved the freckles.'

She giggled at his last thought before answering, 'No, silly. I am Sasami,' her face scrunched up as she thought for second, 'Well maybe, I am not sure.' 

He noticed her mood change and saw the sadness that the question had brought about. Deciding to change the subject, he thought, 'So you've being watching me, huh. You like what you see?' he raised his eyebrows suggestively. He remembered Tsunami mentioning to him that she was Sasami's ship, so he didn't need to ask too many questions to trust her.

'Well yes and no,' she answered him softly, her cheeks discoloring slightly though he was sure there was some pink on her cheeks.

'Damn just like all the women in my life, oh well. So what's the sitch?' He smiled as she looked at him confused at his choice of words. 'What's wrong?' he asked concerned. 

'You seem to be harboring a lot of pain, and you never let anyone close to you.' She let that sink in then continued, 'However your heart is good and kind. You stand up for others when they can't stand up for themselves.' Her concern was evident; she had watched him through Tsunami and had come to admire him.

Becoming very uncomfortable Xander just smiled, although it didn't reach his eyes. 'Yeah, that's life. So tell me about yourself.' 

She noticed him changing the subject and decided that he wasn't ready to open up. She smiled at him, 'Next time we meet we will speak more about me, now I must go. It is very difficult to talk with you. Being a few light years away does tire someone making a direct mental connection with another.' Her image disappeared and was replaced with the older looking Tsunami. 'I believe your friends are calling for you Alexander.'

"Hello, earth to Xander. You in there?" asked Harry as he tried to shake Xander from his daydream.

'You have no idea,' he mentally snapped out. "Huh, What!" He turned toward Harry and noticed that Ron was setting up what looked like a chess board. Hermione was sitting next to Ron reading a book on Vampires, 'Oh man, at least their not ignorant on what goes bump in the night.'

Snapping of his internal musing, Xander turned toward Harry and smiled "What's up?"

"Ron got the chess board, want to try a round with him?" He didn't want to tell him that Ron was the best in the school. 

"I don't know. I am not very good." He looked at the board and remembered when Willow had tried to teach him to play. 'I got impatient and kicked the board,' he mentally chuckled as thought of Willow's reaction. 'She sure acted like she was my girlfriend, ranting and telling me I was being bad and that I had to listen to her. At least she wasn't shy around me.' 

"Fine let's get to it," Xander walked over to the table with the chess board and sat across Ron, "So how come the pieces are moving, it's just a tiny bit creepy."

"Its wizard chess, the pieces move on your orders and attack the other pieces according to the normal rules of chess. Now let's go." Ron moved first and waited for Xander's move.

After two more moves, Xander watched as one of his pieces was utterly destroyed by Ron's Knight. "Ah man, it didn't have to dust the pawn. It's not a vampire." The trio laughed and the game continued with Xander adding voices to the moving figures.

"Prepare for war! Charge!" Xander's knight moved and put Ron's King on check. "Hell yeah, take that." 'Thanks Wills for the pointers on chess!'

Ron only smiled at Xander and after two more moves, "Checkmate! I win." Ron held out his hand to Xander and they shook at the good game they had. 

"That was fun, never thought a chess game would be exciting. Usually I get frustrated and throw the pieces. But I get the feeling they would attack me if I did that." He laughed as the others joined him, he felt better than he had in the past four months.

"Yeah, I played Harry once and he got mad because he was losing and attempted to throw the Knight. It bit him and he never tried it again." Ron laughed so hard he fell off the chair, while Harry glared at him mumbling about it being a secret game or something.

Hermione had been quiet throughout the whole ordeal and just looked at him and Harry. Xander felt very uncomfortable under her stare and hoped against all hope that it wasn't another girl crushing on him. Willow and Dawn had been the end of the crushes on him and he hoped that would be it, 'I can't stand to hurt someone else.' 

They continued to talk about the game and other wizard's games, until Quiddich came up. Ron and Harry got very emotional about the game and went through explaining the whole game to him.

"Ok so you have to catch the golden snitch and you're on a broom, right?" he asked. He had been trying to understand but it didn't make any sense to him.

Harry shook his head in frustration. "I guess you have to see it to understand it. But we'll be having a match against one of the other houses next weekend. You'll see what it's about." 

"Yeah and I am going to try out for the team this year, and I just hope to kick some Slytherin ass." Ron happily added.

Hermione just sat there going through her book, stealing looks at Xander a couple times and the doing the same to Harry. 'He is yummy. But Harry is different. Ahhhh this is confusing.' She continued to study the history of vampires and wizards.

The group continued to just sit around and relax talking about Quiddich and other interesting wizarding facts. Finally it came time for lunch, "Its time to eat finally." Xander stood up and the rest followed him through the portal leading outside the common room.

***Somewhere else in England***

"The slayer has not gone through the Cruciamentum; it has been put off since of her jail time. But I must insist that as soon as it is convenient for the council we must perform the ritual as doctrine insists." Travers proudly stood in front of the leading members of the council, confident that his plea to stick to the old ways would be taken in a positive way.

The leading members talked between themselves, a few arguing about what was being asked. "Again, Mr. Travers, you have come in front of the council and requested that we remove the slayer. Our situation is not at its best with Ms. Summers. This will not help matters. What have you say to this?"

Travers smiled, "It has come to my attention that the slayer, Faith, is with child." He watched as the shock of the news hit the members sitting in front of him. "Yes. You see, if she is with child, then she will not be able to do her duty. The ritual will only make certain that she can still due her duty."

Again the council took a few minutes to discuss the news they just heard. "We will discuss this situation among ourselves and when we have made our decision you will be called. For now, make sure that we gather information on the pregnancy. WE MUST KNOW WHO THE FATHER IS. As you know, a slayer as never been able to conceive a child."

"Very well." He turned and walked out of the meeting chambers with a smile on his face. 'Soon very soon the council will have a new slayer to control and the old ways will rule.' If he knew how wrong he was, so very wrong.

***Sunnydale***

Giles had gotten up early and made his way to the Summers' house. On his arrival he did not see anything out of the ordinary other than the two disturbed girls. His own experience had not been a good one; he hoped that they could find out what was going on.

Tara watched him enter the backyard to join them and she whispered to Willow, "He's all traumatized. When he picked up the phone after dropping it last night, he sounded like he was falling apart."

Willow agreed, "Well, whatever it is, it's not the, the traditional haunting, because i-it's not limited to one specific place, and there's not, you know, a dead person."

Tara trembled when she remembered what Giles had revealed on the phone, "Not any more."

Giles thought about it a moment, trying to think of how they could have someone haunting them, "Well after looking through a few of my books last night. I believe it is a hitchhiker." He shivered at the thought of the night before, 'I saw her; how I miss her. But to see her like that was so painful.'

Tara sat there confused, "A hitchhiker?" She leaned closer to Willow, she smiled as she felt Willow embrace her and hold her tight.

Giles took off his glasses and did his trade mark wipe of them, "Um yes well, the standard way to travel through dimensions. Demons and evil spirits, who see someone moving between worlds, take the event to their advantage. They seem to in essence grab on for the ride."

Hearing this, Willow tightened her hold on Tara, "You mean like, some hell-beastie rode in with Buffy? Like ... what ever brought her back is responsible for this?"

Sighing into Willow's embrace, Tara spoke what was on everyone's mind, "Research."

Giles slightly smiled at the young witch's reaction, he looked around the yard and admired the scenery and calmed himself was he relaxed and thought of the good times they had in the past.

"Wake up Giles," Willow yelled at him. 'I don't like being ignored.' "As I was saying," she glared at Giles, "I think we should go research at the Magic Box and maybe find a solution to this problem.

"My thoughts exactly," he said quickly trying to hide the embarrassment of being caught daydreaming. "Very well, let's see how we can deal with this apparition. I hope this isn't going to get more serious."

"It's okay. We, we just kill the beastie and then all is good. We're rolling in puppies! ... Right?" Willow was confident that they could find a solution.

Tara on the other hand was very disturbed by the events of the night before and wasn't so sure, "C…Can we do that? K…Kill it?"

Faith and Buffy chose that moment to come in and both said, "We killing something." Buffy was wondering why there where having a meeting without her and Faith. Faith, well she was just trying to get on Willow's nerves.

"So Tara, how's it going," she sat next to the blonde Wiccan and smiled at her.

"We-l-l-l, we had an en… n-ncounter with something last night," her soft voice quietly disappeared at the last few words.

Willow and Giles went on to fill them in on what happened the night before. Both slayers where shocked that something could happen under the noses and they didn't know about it.

Faith quickly munched on her bagel and spoke at the same time (think garbled language), "Zo hat mluojl!" Seeing Willow's annoyed look, she quickly finished her bagel, happy that she had gotten to the redhead. "Yeah Red, get with the craft. Let's catch us a ghost." Giles could see that the story they had told them had bothered Faith. 'How could it not, her image had been used to scare the two women.'

At this point, Buffy, who had been quiet, unlike Faith, had taken the attention, spoke in a unhappy tone, "I remember something, last… night… uh…" She got lost on the memories of the night before and left the others in suspense waiting for her response.

"Yo, B! What you see last night?" Faith asked the fake blonde.

"Uh…um… the photographs. O-of us. They changed," she softly said as the others waited for more.

Tara on the other had hoped she could help Buffy tell them what happened, "How did they change?"

"They were ... dead. I-I-I mean, we were dead. Like, um ... dead bodies? But, but then they were okay. So I just, you know, figured it was me. That I was going crazy," her eyes where unfocused and her expression told the others how bothered she was by what had happened.

"Yep, you're nuts," Faith joked, but apologized when she saw Buffy's scared look and Willow's angry glare. "Oops, bad joke. B you're not nuts, trust me I would know. We smell our kind," the last part coming out in a grim tone.

Buffy looked at Faith and just dismissed what she said, "Well when you figure out what we need to kill this thing, let me know." She got up and started making breakfast for Dawn.

Faith frowned at Buffy and just stood up and left to her room. The three left got up and decided it was time to go to the Magic Box and do some research, but Tara and Willow had to go to school.

*****


	12. Part4b version2

Part 4 b  
  
TITLE: Xander Muyo: Hogwart's Style Part4 b  
  
AUTHOR: Top_Quark and Enterprise1701_d  
  
E-MAIL: shadow_quark@yahoo.com and Enterprise1701_d@yahoo.com  
  
FEEDBACK: please, helps me write  
  
N/A: Thanks to enterprise, and the others that helped with this fic This is the first in a series of stories that will be in this AU. A big thanks to the people at http://studiesinwords.de/, where I got to go over and use the scripts for Btvs. I use the scripts and changed them around to fit my story.- TQ  
  
DISCLAIMER: All characters form Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel belong to Joss! The Tenchi Muyo characters belong to AIC or Pioneer. I don't claim ownership. I just wanted to create a story, don't be mad. I don't own Harry Potter and his associates. I don't own anything from harry potter, but I due use the descriptions from the books and also some of what the teachers say.  
  
Summary: Xander enters his second phase of training, can he deal with the new world? Will he make friends that will help him in the future? What happens to Spike?  
  
IMPORTANT: IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS GOING ON PLEASE READ THE PREQUEL WRITTEN BY ENTERPRISE1701_D AT HTTP:// www.maddmansrealm.com/Enterprise1701_D/ look for COA.  
  
A/N: thanks to greywolf, datexan, and enterprise, and the others that have helped. Thanks to Odar, nodakskip, vegakeep, yawncampion for helping me.  
  
or ' 'mental conversations/mental thoughts  
  
***Quidditch field**  
  
Lunch had come and, for Xander, had gone too quickly. Now it was time for him, the girls and a group of the first years to learn to fly on their brooms. As he waited for Madam Hooch's orders he continued to think about how he got himself into all this trouble. 'I hate school, how the hell did I agree to coming here,' he thought. As he looked around the field at the other young students he came to a quick realization, 'Ah, Shit. I am in high school again.'  
  
April and Ariana on the other hand were having a great time at their new school, it was a time for them to learn and to make new friends. They were tired of running and fighting and this was another opportunity to just have a little fun and see what they could experience with their magical abilities.  
  
Remember Ari, the book we read last night said that magic works through complete concentration. We have to focus ourselves completely. The wands help with the focusing, but we don't need them.  
  
Yes, of course I remember. You're just bugging me because this is boring waiting for the professor's instructions.  
  
As Madam Hooch told them the instructions and had them call the brooms, both girls spoke "UP!" with their hands over the brooms sitting on the ground. They concentrated so much that the brooms swung up with such force that it stung their hands.   
  
Both girls showed no reaction to the violent action of their brooms but on the inside they where not happy to be misled by the book.  
  
I believe the book was wrong, maybe it's different for brooms. They watched the few who got the broom to easily move, I believe by just relaxing and not focusing so much we can attain more control with it. April sent to Ariana.  
  
I agree. Both girls smiled to each other and continued to listen to the instructions and happy that they where starting to learn new things and that they could still analyze the data surrounding them easily. This is what we need Ari, to relax and enjoy learning. Fighting and running has no bearing on our future here.  
  
***  
  
Xander was waiting impatiently, the girls on one side of him and an 11-year-old girl on his other side. The girl keep staring at him every so often and it was totally spooking him. Shaking the feeling of being stared at he waited to for the professor to allow them to use their brooms.  
  
As he listened, he felt the tingle in the back of his mind, which was a request for conversation from Sasami or Tsunami. He chuckled as he thought how he had to explain to them that they couldn't just barge into his mind without a warning. This morning at breakfast he had spilt his drink all over his food and onto himself when they had started talking to him.  
  
Sending back a mental approval, he waited for their reply.   
  
Hello Alexander, how has been your training? he heard the peaceful and calming voice of Tsunami.  
  
Hi Xander, he heard from Sasami.  
  
He mentally grinned as he heard the young teenager's voice; her voice and her presence in his mind always had a calming effect. Training has been ok, boring though. I have no idea what flying with a broom will help me in the future.  
  
Tsunami smiled at his response. Patience, you will eventually realize why this is important to your future. Besides, this exercise is more relaxing than the others.  
  
The three continued their conversation and eventually Tsunami just stayed in the background, just listening to the other two talk.   
  
So how's it going out in the great beyond. he asked to the younger of the two women in his head. 'Damn I hear voices, nope I am definitely not normal. Not that I ever was, normal people don't fight vampires and demons.'  
  
Answering in a shy sad, tone, It's boring and I want to get out of this dream world. But I have to wait until we get out of cryo-sleep.  
  
WHAAAT!! he quickly looked around to see if anyone noticed his shocked reaction. Yeah I am surprised no one noticed my eyes almost pop out and my mouth drop open. Not seeing anyone looking at him he went back to his mental conversation, I thought you where like me, talking through Tsunami. Not sleeping!  
  
In a sad tone, Yes, well I snuck onto my sister's tree ship when she left on her quest to look for our brother. And I have been in cryo-sleep since we left, but since I am connected to Tsunami I never have the dreamless sleep others get. I am always aware and I have been here for 700 years.  
  
***  
  
Hey Kawaii, did you see that? April motioned toward Xander.  
  
Yes, what do you think is going on with Xander? While they weren't exactly friends with the young man, they did feel a small connection with him. He was as new to this magical world as they where. They also figured he had a mysterious background, like they did.  
  
It looks like he is having a conversation with someone, actually it's easy to tell from his facial expressions. April mentioned as both girls raised an eyebrow, perfectly imitating the Spok maneuver.   
  
I didn't know Xander had that kind of power. Both girls logically coming to the conclusion that it had to be some type of mental conversation similar to the one they usually share.  
  
Maybe we should go take a look at what is going on inside his head Ariana said, while both girls trusted the young man a little bit, they couldn't trust him completely yet. Their past showed them that trust had to be earned and he had yet to completely earn it.   
  
Ari! That is just wrong, not only is it eavesdropping but going into his head is very personal and we shouldn't do it unless we have his permission. She smiled as she felt Ari slowly shift from her tactical mindset back to normal.  
  
I only said maybe, she replied with a mental smile to her life mate. Let's try and find out more information about Xander without invading his mind. If we are going to make friends with him, we must know if it's safe. While they knew that trust must be earned, they also knew gathering all the information they could would help them in the future. They hoped it would work out and they could make a new friend.  
  
Agreed, was the final response before they ended their conversation.  
  
***  
  
Xander visually paled at what he was hearing, it didn't sound good. He didn't notice that April and Ariana always aware of their surroundings had been watching his reactions the last few minutes, especially after he missed the order from the teacher to have the broom lift up to his hand.  
  
Only as small part of him was paying attention to the class, or at least trying. The majority was spent talking to Sasami through the weird telepathy they shared. He had started to get to know the young woman and liked her a lot. She was kind, cheerful and, when he talked to her, he seemed to feel all the stress of the day drain away, but he also noticed the depths of sadness from her voice. Try as she might, she couldn't hide it completely. Now hearing that she was trapped in some sort of mental prison didn't make him happy, Seven-hundred years, he mentally shuddered. He couldn't imagine what would happen to him if had to go through it. I would have gone insane by now.  
  
Nahhh. Tsunami keeps me company and I get to visit my sister and mothers' in their dreams. The response sounded cheerful, but he could tell she was trying to hold back her sadness. Besides, it teaches me not to sneak on to my sister's ship again. She sure was surprised when she noticed I was there!! A genuine giggle left the princess.  
  
Everyone saw Xander's smile though they wondered why he got it, especially since all his moves for the last couple of minutes have been very mechanical. Yeah, I bet she got really pissed and started to demand why you did it too. He continued to picture anyone's sister getting mad because her little sister tagged along.  
  
A mental giggle reached Xander's mind. Oh yeah, she wouldn't stop yelling and complaining how I would ruin her quest to find our brother. Xander noticed that the sadness had left the young princess and that she was enjoying retelling her story.  
  
Xander mentally laughed, Yeah I can only imagine, it's like when Dawn used to follow Buffy to the mall and they used to get into fights. His laughter ended as he started remember the friends he had left behind, regretting his decision somewhat but knowing that it was for the best.  
  
Sasami could feel his emotions through the link and she didn't like when he got depressed, You miss them don't you? Why don't you write to them or go see them? I am sure Tsunami can set something up?  
  
Yep! I miss them a lot, I mean things weren't always great but they're are my friends and family and I left. I feel like I betrayed them. I know I have to do this so that I could go back and help, but I just can't help feel like I should be there now. Especially since Buffy's returned, and I have no idea how that happened.  
  
Yeah I miss my parents too, though I never had many friends back at home. I was only allowed to associate with the nobles, and their children were scared to play with me.  
  
Yeah, aren't we a pair, he mentally laughed though it carried only pain, not happiness, We miss our loved ones but are powerless to return to them.  
  
At that moment both of them where interrupted, Sasami it is time for you to rest. After her statement, Sasami left the mental conversation which confused Xander.  
  
Tsunami what was that all about? he questioned, wondering why his conversation was cut short.  
  
My connection to Sasami keeps her mentally conscious but I am only able to have her go into a dreamless sleep for a limited amount of time.  
  
Xander thought over what he had heard decided he would have to say something now or it would eat at him, Bring her here now, go get her!! he stated aggressively.  
  
To say that Tsunami was shocked would be an understatement, never had anyone other than her older sister talked to her like that. She felt the conviction in his mental message, and the threat that if she didn't comply that she would not be happy with the results. But I can not.  
  
He was about to ask why, but then he knew it didn't matter, I don't care!! You're a ship; you told me you're the fastest ship out there so go get her. NOW!! He didn't know what was wrong with him, he felt an unbelievable amount of anger at the moment just thinking about his new friend trapped in such a hell and never able to leave it.  
  
Very well, I will see what I can do, but I do not promise anything. With that she cut the connection they had. He was becoming too forceful and unreasonable; she hoped she would do the right decision.  
  
***  
  
Being cut off from the connection caused Xander to return his full attention to the outside environment and it was not pretty when he realized where he was. "OH shit!!" he yelled as he noticed he was a few feet off the ground on his broom. He lost his balance on the branch and fell off landing on his right leg.  
  
He realized too late that part of his mind had continued to pay attention to the teacher and had acted at her request. "Owww! Oww! I've fallen and I cant get up!" He looked around and noticed no one laughed. Figures they don't realize it when I quote a tv show."   
  
He tried getting up, but fell back, "Ah shit, that hurt!! I think it's broken," he stated to Madam Hooch as she walked toward him. He noticed her frown and he knew he was in trouble.  
  
"Such language, never in my years in Hogwart's have I known such disrespect. Now who here wants to take him to the medical wing." Her voice was harsh and stern conveying that she was extremely angry at his choice of words.  
  
April and Ariana walked up to them and helped pick Xander up, "Be careful don't put any pressure on her leg." April let her hands go over his leg, "No... it's not broken. You just pulled your muscles." She looked up at him, and smiled. "You'll be fine." She turned to Ariana, nodded, and together, they simply lifted him up and carried him off.  
  
As the three passed the others, April and Ariana heard all the whispers on how they where freakishly strong.  
  
***  
  
As they made their way through the school, Xander decided to chat a little so that he could be distracted from the pain, "So I see your pretty strong to hold me up. Cool!!" He flashed them his lopsided smile.  
  
The girls just took his statement casually but wondered why he took it so easily, "It does not bother you, that we may be stronger than you," asked a curious Ariana. April just looked at him waiting for his answer.  
  
He chuckled lightly, "Nahh, it doesn't bother me. Hell most of my friends are stronger than me, and they're girls." 'And not just in physical strength too!' he thought to himself. "Nah. I've known a few girls that can kick a little ass. Buffy, Faith, Willow if she gets pissed enough...and Cordy of course," he added with a smirk as he remembered his friends.  
  
The girls smiled up at him, they could feel him relax. It felt nice to be trusted again by someone else, "So tell us about your friends, what are they like?"  
  
"You know they're my friends," he laughed though a small hint of sadness trickled out. "Well Willow has been my friend since kindergarten, basically forever," he smiled at them. "Cordy was our worst enemy, but in high school we became friends. I still keep in touch with her, she maybe not have tact and is a fashion nut but she has a good heart." Not wanting to talk about Faith or Buffy he tried to change the subject, "What about you? I don't know much about you. Tell me a little about yourselves."   
  
The girls where a little reluctant to talk about themselves since they didn't exactly have a wonderful life, 'Kawaii, did you notice how he left out the other two girls he mentioned," mentally asked April.  
  
'Yes, I did. There is much more than he is telling, but I have a feeling he will open up as time passes,' responded the other girl. "Well we grew up in a convent and where very much loved. Then we where given scholarships to go to a school for young genius where we got several doctorates." She wanted to see what his reaction to learning their mental capabilities; she had learned that many people didn't like to be around others smart than them. It frightened them and usually things never went well. She can still remember being called an egghead by a boy when she and her friends had left their school grounds for some fun.   
  
"Ahh geniuses, yeah you could consider my Willow a sort of genius. You want to know a secret!" he said with a hint of mystery hidden behind his words.  
  
"No, what?," they both said with a hint of laughter waiting to escape. He really made them relax and enjoy the conversation.  
  
"You guy's just volunteered to be my study buddies, just like Willow was mine," He said with a great big smile, "Of course if you want to that is," he was a little nervous as he waited for their reply.  
  
They both laughed, "Which part do you need help? We'd be glad to help you, I mean they stuck you with a vigorous workload."  
  
If it was even possible he had a even bigger smile, "Everything, as I told Willow once there's a shiny nickel in it for you," he laughed.   
  
It warmed their hearts that someone accepted them so easily and they hoped it would work out. They weren't going to let their guard down completely, but they where going to give him the benefit of the doubt. "Sure, no problem, we give you knowledge and you give us two nickels." April smiled at him and turned towards Ariana who nodded back at her, "Sounds like a fair trade." 'Besides you gave us so much when you helped us buy the school supplies,' both girls thought. They knew it wasn't wise to bring that up so they just accepted what he brought up.  
  
As they rounded the corner they almost smacked into a group of students. The three knocked down a blond-haired boy and had pushed his other companions to the side.   
  
"Excuse us, we need to get to the medical wing," April said as the three continued on their way passing the three Slytherin.  
  
"Comeback here you mudbloods!!" screamed the blond-haired boy.  
  
Xander quickly stopped the two girls from continuing, suddenly the room decreased slightly in temperature. He still remembered when Pumpkin told him about some of the things he needed to know about the wizarding world, including the meaning of mudblood. 'I've been called mudblood a lot since I came here since my parents aren't from old wizard families, ' he remembered his friend saying. He slowly limped toward the blond boy after he god April and Ariana to let him go, "Take that back, or you'll regret it!!" If it was one thing he would not tolerate, it was someone insulting his friends. 'I don't care if they insult me, but your not going to insult others in my front of me. Now that I can do something about it, I won't let people get away with it.'   
  
Malfoy quickly took out his wand and started waving it around menacingly, "Or what?? What can a filthy mudblood like you do to me? Especially some loser Gryffindor," he laughed but quickly quieted as Xander slowly made his way toward him.  
  
"Come on guys, just apologize to the two young ladies and we will be on our way. No need to get defensive," he gave them his lopsided grin and waited for their reply.  
  
"Don't tell me what to do. I am not going to listen to you, damn Gryffindor git." He had a big grin on his face hoping that Xander would do something.  
  
Xander looked him up and down and laughed, "You know what you're not worth my time." He slowly made his way to the girls and the three turned to go on their way.  
  
Malfoy smiled confidently as he nodded to the other two that accompanied him. They prepared to fire an assortment of curses and jinxes, but at the last minute they got something they did not expect.  
  
April and Ariana sensed danger and faster than the others could see pulled their wands out and spun around while still holding onto Xander. "Stupefy," they whispered calmly as the beams of light exploded out of their wands. Instead of being a clean thin beam of magic, both girls released wide beams of magic that completely encompassed the whole hallway. While they didn't like violence they would not be attacked while their backs where turned.  
  
"Wow, that was so fucking cool!" laughed Xander. "I loved it how you so smoothly pulled out your wands, and damn you guys took out the whole hallway," he grinned at them. The training he had undergone the last few months and the years off watching others faster than him allowed him to keep up with the girls' rapid moving hands.   
  
'He was able to keep up with us Ari, that is very strange. He was able to watch us move so fast,' April thought to the other girl.  
  
'Yes, he was also able to adapt quickly and turn with us, instead of us moving him forcefully. He is very strange,' both girls felt no malice or anything dangerous about the young man so they relaxed and just nodded to him.  
  
'Good thing my reflexes have improved, though it gives me the sick feeling of being under the hyena's control again.' He still did not like reacting so fast without conscious thought; it felt like his body wasn't under is control. Being possessed twice had made him very cautious when it came to his body's reactions.  
  
"Your not confused by our quick movements and reflexes?" asked a confused April. While they had not moved to their full capabilities, since they didn't use their other gifts to enhance their speed it still surprised her that he took it with ease.   
  
"Nahh, I've seen faster. I am used to seeing people move that fast, you could say I am unfazed by it, though it did kick ass. Wow, I never thought I'd see anyone move almost as fast as Buffy. You know what? I get the feeling we are going to be really good friends and have some kick ass adventures," he said happily. He just had a feeling that things would not be dull. He stifled the urge to mentally groan since he never got it easy, something always dangerous or weird happened. "By the way, how did you do that? I mean I skimmed one of the books and I don't think it was suppose to have that type of effect. Wasn't it supposed to be a standard stun spell?" 'If my friends could see me know, skimming books and talking about what I read. Yes, the end is coming soon,' he mentally chuckled.  
  
"Ah, well that's easy to explain. You see, we read some material about Magical Theory last night and the gist of it was that a wand is used as a focus. You can say that it's like a magnifying glass that focuses our magical energy onto one point so that we don't have concentrate so hard. Well, Ari and myself have been training our minds to be able to focus and concentrate; we can focus our magic and its concentration easily. So the wand magnifies our focused magic creating a larger effect than is usual. But then again that is my current theory; further examination of what just happened will need to be made."  
  
Xander just looked at her and his mind hurt a little. "What you say?" He understood a little of it but still was slightly confused.  
  
April just sighed, "I just used my magic more efficiently."   
  
"OH why didn't you say so!" he grinned at her.  
  
"I did," she whispered as they continued onto the medical ward.   
  
***  
  
In an Unknown Dimension  
  
Tokimi refused to watch her grandson's dealings at the magical school since she wanted to be surprised, but that did not stop her from making an appearance to her sister, 'Yes time to annoy my little sister.'  
  
Tokimi appeared on Tsunami's ship and waited for her sister to detect her, after waiting a few minutes she decided to look around. It surprised her that her sister didn't detect her; she had easily done so in the past. 'What are you up to little sister?'  
  
She walked into the main chamber and finally saw her sister staring at a view screen, 'Hmm, I wonder what's she looking at?' What she saw as she made a closer inspection almost made her laugh, but instead she giggled and it caused her sister to notice her. "Well, well, well! What do we have here? Does my little sister have a new pet?"  
  
Tsunami turned towards the intruder and scowled, "What are you doing here?" To say that the sisters did not get along would be putting it mildly.   
  
"Well I just wanted to visit you, can't I be allowed to do that?" She asked with more sweetness coming off her voice than was needed. She loved to annoy her sister and the voice always did make her mad. She mentally laughed as she saw the scowl on her sister increase in magnitude. She walked to the view screen and watched, "So what do we have here? My, he's handsome," she said as she watched Xander being helped down a hallway by two girls. "But I still think Yosho is much better looking; did you tire of him already?"   
  
"Yosho is one of my subjects, I do not view him that way," the anger from Tsunami's voice was clearly evident. "As to who this young man is, it does not concern you."  
  
'Oh little sister, it does concern me more than you would ever imagine,' Tokimi thought seriously. "So lets take a look at Yosho," she tried to will the view screen to changed but it didn't. She raised an eyebrow at her sister, "Come on, let's take a look," she voiced again knowing it would annoy her sister.  
  
"NO!! You leave him alone, he is happily married and I don't need to you to interfere with his life," an angry Tsunami answered.  
  
"Ah, don't be like that; you know he can have more than one wife. I bet he would love to have a goddess as a wife," she laughed.  
  
"Argghhh!! Get out!! Get out!! Get out!!" screamed the other goddess.  
  
Laughing loudly Tokimi took her leave, loving that she was one of the few beings that could easily push her sister's buttons.  
  
***  
  
Later that night:  
  
***Dream Sequence 1***  
  
Xander looked around, he didn't know where he was and he felt really loopy. He felt completely disoriented as he continued to walk down the street. "I have to get to Buffy's. I have to warn her, and help my friends." He went from jogging to a complete flat out run, only thinking of making it to his friend's home in time.  
  
A feeling of dread and emptiness ran up his spine as he neared the house and the door was smashed open, he walked through the door and looked around hoping to find his friends alive. As he turned toward the living room he gasped. "Noo!," he whispered as he saw the body of his longest, bestest friend on the couch with her head in an unnatural angle.  
  
He rushed to her side, kneeling and hugging her to him. "I am sorry, Wills. I am sorry I wasn't here."   
  
Suddenly she opened her eyes and as she looked at him, "You failed us, you left me. Now you're all alone."   
  
The room and the area he was in started fading away as he looked around he feel into complete darkness.  
  
***Dream Sequence 2***  
  
It seemed like he was surrounded in complete darkness all of eternity, or a long, long time. He had just been there, not able to do anything since he couldn't see his movements and walking just seemed to be a waste of time. Then the world started shifting and the Summers' house appeared before him, he saw Willow on the couch dead. But what stood out was the blonde girl standing before him, completely enraged ready to kick his ass.  
  
Buffy walked up to him getting extremely close, totally violating his personal space, he couldn't bear to even look at her as he turned his face away from hers. "Look at me you idiot, look at me and then look at her. You left us and that's what happened. You left us and didn't even care to send us any indication that you were alive. Well, are you happy she's gone, and the longer your not here, the worst things will be."   
  
She started to fade away and Xander just stared at the space where his friend had just stood and then turned to look at Willow. He knew it would always be this way, he would fail them and leaving had never been the best idea he had had.  
  
Again the scene before him started fading and he was left in the total darkness that he was now craving, the scene of his dead best friend was too much to see.  
  
***Out in Space***  
  
"Is there anything we can do to help him with his nightmares, Tsunami," asked the young blue-haired princess. Being stuck in an almost endless sleep was extremely boring and seeing someone in pain just didn't help the situation.  
  
"There is nothing we can do, we can not interfere with his dreams, he has to work through them himself," the kind voice had a hint of sadness as she answered her.  
  
The young princess watched the dreams of her new friend. He was the first person that she had gotten so attached too since leaving her planet and she didn't want anything bad to happen to him, she sent a message of hope to him hoping that it would help a little.  
  
The goddess watched her charge and smiled at the young girl's gesture of help to the young man, but frowned at how she was interfering with his development, 'Well, what could I expect from someone who loves to help others.'   
  
***Dream Sequence 3***  
  
The world around him changed into a nice beachfront, the sun stood over him and he watched the sea as a calm feeling went through him. He sat at edge of the beach and just stared at the waves and the sun eventually setting. He hadn't this much peace in a long time; he released all his worries and all his troubles as he watched the waves crashing in front of him. Eventually it all faded away as he fell into a deep sleep.  
  
**Dorm room**  
  
Pumpkin watched his new friend toss and turn most of the night and hoped that the calm smile meant that Xander was having a better dream now. He knew he would have to talk to his friend soon, 'Tomorrow, I'll make time tomorrow.' If not just to relax and maybe they could listen to some music.  
  
***Sunnydale Diaries***  
  
Dawn  
  
Dear Diary:  
  
Monday -Sept. 2  
  
Well it was another boring day at school, it's so easy to fool everyone at home into thinking that I am all perky and happy about going to school. As if!! :P How can I be happy about anything, things have just been terrible at home and everyone just seems to try to ignore the fact that its for one big reason. Yeah, I miss him. How could I not? He has always been there for me, even if most of them were implanted memories.   
  
Yeah anyway, Buffy and Faith finally where able to stop the demon that some how followed Buffy back from the dead. I can't shake the cold feeling of how it felt when I was possessed, and how good it felt to insult them all and tell them how I felt about them not trying to find Xander. Yeah I finally asked Willow why she didn't do a locator spell and she told me, "If he wanted to be found he would call." That pissed me off so much, their not even trying. He used to be her best friend and she just dismisses him like that. Best friend hell, she used to be in love with him.   
  
Well I got to go, my whiny sister is calling me to dinner. I'll be back to write later. Another night of bad cooking.  
  
Faith  
  
Monday -Sept. 2  
  
Well this is my first journal entry, read in a baby book that it's good to keep a journal. And you know what; it makes sense. I used to keep one when I started slaying, but after my watcher died, I stopped writing and just started running, never giving the journal a second thought.   
  
I am still hoping he's going to return soon, he promised me. But with all the promises made to me that had been broken in the past, I am not surprised. I just hope our baby can have a better life than I did, I couldn't bear to give the baby a bad life.   
  
Anyway enough of the mushy stuff, B has been creeping me out. I've caught her a couple of times with Spike while I go out on patrol. Every time I try to talk to her about it she either ignores me or starts to get physical, and I can't afford to get physical anymore. Anyway, I've decided to just let her do what she wants, it's not my business and well I can't really do much other than stake Spike and then that would lead to showdown with slutty B.  
  
At first I thought that B and me could work things out and start all over, but things just don't click. She's angry at me one minute and nice to me the next, she totally has mood swings around me; it spooks me. I am used to people hating me and that's it. But B just keeps changing her tune all the time, I don't know what to do about it and little miss Wicca Red doesn't help either, I see the dirty looks she gives me. She hates me, and now that I am carrying Xandman's kid she totally despises me.  
  
***  
  
Past Midnight Hogwarts, England  
  
April and Ariana both sat in the common room while everyone else was asleep. They had an assortment of books next to them. They had borrowed all the books they needed to understand the first 2 years of school at Hogwarts from Hermoine. "I like Hermione, she reminds me a lot of the phoenixes. She works so hard and loves to learn," a smiling April said.  
  
"Yes, I do enjoy her company. She tends to love sharing her knowledge. Now I do believe it is time we got to the fun part of the evening." Ari laughed as they both grabbed a book and started reading and assimilating the knowledge within. They had both already finished The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self Protection since it sounded interesting and important. So they both made a list of what they would both read:  
  
April:  
  
The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1  
  
A History of Magic  
  
Magical Theory  
  
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them  
  
Ariana:  
  
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi  
  
Magical Drafts and Potions  
  
A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration  
  
They had started by using their psychokinetic powers to hold their books, while their hands held each other. Both having their avatars in mind-space process the information as view screens appeared all over the temple. The girl's avatars appeared in mind space and they began their work.   
  
April summoned more windows and data passed through them. One window for each subject in each book, stood in front and at the sides of the girls, visual representations of creatures, herbs, and potions appeared in their temple as the girls went through everything at an astonishing pace.  
  
Now that the temple was ready for their studying they created the main window that represented the real world. Reading at an accelerated pace they both finished the books within two hours.   
  
Having finished their respective reading and sorting the data and linking related material together in the respective windows the girls decided it was time to merge the data. Slowly the multiple windows that they had on the subjects merged together into one big window. Data flashed through the window as April's and Ariana's minds worked together to sort the data.   
  
"Well that was fun," smiled Ariana. The joy they both felt at obtaining knowledge they couldn't describe, "Well I guess its time to get second year material finished. For the next two hours they read books, merged data and went through data so that they could better use it.  
  
***  
  
Dear Diary,  
  
Well it's been 3 years since I last wrote in this book and I wonder if this will help. I have to get my feelings out and I guess this is the best way. Things with my friends aren't great and I really don't want to talk to them about my problems. Things with Faith are alright, you may wonder why I let her stay here. Why am I not killing her? Its easy, I don't have the energy or the desire anymore. I just don't care. She's not going to hurt anyone, I could tell. I mean its not hard to logically see it, hello she didn't kill me when I was all crazy girl, though her being with child does help. It's funny, I was about to throw her out that day. Call me selfish but I just couldn't handle having her around anymore. But she let her bombshell drop and I felt bad for her. Yeah, me feeling back for that skank. Anyway, how could I throw her out after that. I am the slayer, and isn't it my job to protect the innocent or something like that. Well I had to help Faith and her baby.  
  
I saw Dawnie writing in her diary, and after I snuffed the urge to go read it I decided to continue my own. Yeah I know I shouldn't want to read her diary but come on, I have to make sure she's not doing bad things with boys. :) Anyway I've been feeling so alone lately, like there is no hope. It's a strange feeling; I've always been able to fall back onto my friends. I wish it had been that easy but it's not.   
  
Willow hasn't really been there after what happened with Faith. I guess she's mad cause Faith happened to be the one to wake me up form my little depression stunt. I tried talking to her but its like there's an invisible barrier between us. She's become more distant and I think she's planning on focusing more on school and Tara instead of slaying. I understand that, but I feel like I was abandoned. Why can't I go to school? Why can't it be like it was all before?   
  
Tara has been... well, Tara. She's helped as best as she can but she's busy getting ready for school too. So I mostly spend my time with Faith, Dawn, or Giles. Speaking of Giles, it's same thing as with Willow. He's become distant, won't talk to me unless its slayer business.   
  
Well that's enough venting for one day.  
  
****  
  
Hogwart's Breakfast  
  
She was about to start her second day at school; she was really excited. She wished her friends could understand the joy she felt when she learned something new. She watched as Xander, April, and Ariana entered the hall and took their places across from her. Her cheeks colored as she looked at Xander, 'My he's cute!! Stop that! You like someone else.' She watched as Xander sat and noticed he wasn't wearing normal wizarding clothes, but a tight t-shirt that displayed his muscles very nicely.   
  
Shaking her head so she could focus on her meal and stop the reddening of her cheeks. She just got her Daily Prophet when she gasped:  
  
MINISTRY SEEKS EDUCATIONAL REFORM. NEW COURSE AT HOGWARTS  
  
She went on to read how a new course called Law and Rights of the Ministry of Magic. 'The Minister of Magic has repeatedly stated that Albus Dumbledore has reached the ends of his wits and that reform of Hogwarts must be done. Law and Rights of the Ministry of Magic was the first of many reforms to be made to the education of our children,' stated the Minister of Magic.   
  
It went on to discuss the rumors of Minister of Magic taking over Hogwarts and other political struggles in the Ministry.  
  
"What's going on Hermione? Can I see that?" Ron leaned over and tried to snatch the paper out of her hands, but was met with a hard slap to the hand. "Aww! Oww! You didn't have to do that?" he whimpered.  
  
Harry snickered, "Serves you right, you know she hates it when you do that." Lately he had been feeling better. The guilt over Diggory's death had lessened and he had started confiding in his friends about the ordeal. He realized that with his friends he might just be able to do anything.  
  
Hermione told the group what she read on the paper and continued to read it.  
  
"Interesting, it would be good to learn about the laws of the Wizarding world," replied April.  
  
"Yes, it's best to know how the magical authorities operate in this section of the world," added Ariana.  
  
"OH man! Does that mean we get more classes," groaned Xander he had been reviewing what he had to accomplish and it didn't look good. 'How the hell am I going to be able to do this? I am no genius.'  
  
"Yes. According to this, it states that all third years and above must participate in the course. I wonder how they're going to change the scheduling around so that we can fit one more class," a blushing Hermione answered. She really had to start getting used to talking to Xander, but had yet to get herself under control.  
  
"This is strange that they would add another course so suddenly. What you think, Kawaii?"  
  
"Yes, indeed."  
  
"Well might as well worry about it later. Lets eat!" Xander said as he started piling food onto his plate.  
  
"So guys I am trying to recruit some people to participate in the biggest prank ever, I have yet to beat the Wesleys. I do some good ones, but they always out shine mine and I am not even noticed. How about it?" whispered Pumpkin as he waited and hoped for good response from the others.  
  
"To go against my brothers? Definitely I am in," quickly answered Ron. He stared daydreaming how he would one up his brothers and become a legend in his own right.  
  
"I don't think that's a good idea, we could get caught. We should just focus on our studies." Hermione almost cried out as she scowled at Ron, but she looked up at Xander to see his reply, 'Among other things! Oh no, I just didn't think that.'  
  
"I am definitely in," answered Xander quickly and he went back to eating. "What about you girls, you going to join us?" He looked at April and Ariana giving them his lopsided grin.  
  
"We shall discuss it and think about it," was the only reply he got since the girls started eating.   
  
After a few minutes Hermione stirred up the courage to talk to Xander, "Why aren't you in your wizard's robes, Xander?" she asked softly surprising both Harry and Ron. They looked up at her and then at Xander and a hint of jealously quickly passed through them.  
  
Xander looked down at himself, he was in his work out clothes which consisted of a tight t-shirt and a pair of shorts, "Oops, hehe!! I was working out and didn't have enough time to change before breakfast ended," he gave her his lopsided smile and she reddened at that.  
  
"Ten points from Gryffindor for not wearing proper clothing?" Suddenly a loud voice startled them. Snape smiled down at Xander, "Looks like the new boy doesn't know how to follow rules."  
  
"If you had eyes, you would notice I am 21 years old," grumbled Xander. "Must be all those potions, the fumes got to your brain," he further grumbled.  
  
"What was that boy?" Snape snapped.   
  
"Well, hheheh, I was doing some training and didn't have time to change before breakfast ended." Xander scowled up at the professor and answered before going back to eating.  
  
After Snape walked away the talking ended and everyone finished their meal and got ready for classes.   
  
  
  
***  
  
Katsuhito looked around his classroom; it had been a week now since he had started his lessons. He had the students go through basic jinxes and counters so that they could and would be prepared for wand attacks. Though many were lacking in skill, he had hoped that more practice time would be available. But he looked up at the reason for the lack of practice, a certain short fat witch named Dolores Umbridge.   
  
She had made it difficult for the students to practice their magic with her interference. He could still hear her shrill voice, "That's not the proper way to do that counter," over and over making the student become nervous and causing them to lose their concentration. He had removed her from the class but the next day she had Ministry approval to change and approve all curriculums. So now they had to change the book and then they had to stop practicing magic since it said that only theory was necessary.  
  
He smiled at what he thought up, the original rule said that theory of the magic was enough to teach the course, but it said nothing about teaching theory of fighting muggles. So therefore he could have the class be active without their wands, after the initial lesson.  
  
"Ok class, settle down!" he loudly. "Today we will be doing something different than what we have been doing the last two days." At this Umbridge quickly stood up about to say something but was stopped when he continued, "I want one of you to attack me with your wand, use any spell you would like to. I will defend myself, but will not use magic." The class exploded into chaos as some students thought that there was no way you could stop a magic attack without magic and others where happy to attack a professor. Umbridge smiled, as she also believed there was no way that he could stop a magical attack.  
  
"So who would like to volunteer, any spell or jinx can be used."  
  
Quickly Malfoy stood up; here was his chance to show everyone that he was the best and that Harry Potter couldn't match him. 'If I take out a professor, everyone will be scared of me,' he laughed internally.  
  
Katsuhito watched as the class quickly walked to the dueling section of the class and wait for the action. He was amused as he watched Umbridge become happier as she believed he would get hurt. "Well Mr. Malfoy since you volunteered; begin." The class stood to the side so any magic wouldn't hit them.   
  
Malfoy thinking he had the upper hand since he was ready and the professor didn't even seem like he was prepared to walk, "PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!!" He pointed and yelled out the spell and watched as it moved with half the speed it should have, 'Damn I knew I should have been practicing more, no matter.' Believing that the spell would do it's job, he had a smug grin on his face that quickly turned into shock.   
  
Katsuhito quickly sidestepped the spell and quickly made his way to the side of young Malfoy and slapped the wand out of his hands.   
  
The class was shocked, never had they seen anyone move so fast, and quickly the room filed with questions of how and can they learn that.   
  
"Now what did he do wrong, and what kind of situation is he in," Katsuhito asked the class. Hearing a laugh from one of the students he turned and noticed it was Xander, "Would you care to enlighten us Xander?"  
  
  
  
"Ah, he attacked?" an amused looking Xander asked as he laughed slightly. The class laughed and some of the tension in the room trickled out, before the professor could say anything he continued, "Well yeah, he attacked and didn't think ahead. His attack was slow and he wasn't prepared to counter any retaliation. He assumed that his magic could take care of the fight. He was way too confident and didn't think about why his opponent was so calm. He basically jumped into the situation with his head cut off," he laughed causing the room to explode into laughter at Malfoy's misfortune. The boy in question was scowling at Xander.  
  
April and Ariana nodded in agreement with Xander and they decided they would talk to him later, 'He seems to have combat experience, Kawaii.'  
  
'Yes, I believe its time we talk to him. We have to find out if he is friend or foe,' answered the other.  
  
Hermione couldn't believe it; all the books she had read had never hinted that magic could be countered like that. "Harry, that shouldn't be possible, even though the spell was moving slower than normal."  
  
Hearing the girl's response to her friend the professor responded, "Actually Miss Granger it is possible for everyone one of you to do it. I have had training in marital arts and have trained myself to be faster than a person usually would be. It's hard work but it is possible."  
  
"Now Xander would you like to demonstrate for the class what I just said," request Katsuhito.   
  
"Sure, why not," he didn't feel comfortable doing this in front of the class, but it didn't look like had a choice. He got at the end of the dueling ring and waited.  
  
"Who would like to go against him," he asked the class. When no one answered he was about to volunteer himself when Malfoy decided to reply.  
  
"Yeah, I show him not to mess with a Malfoy," He recovered his wand and pointed it at Xander and yelled out a curse, "STUPEFY!." He was hoping to get Xander with the spell the girls used on him a few days ago. 'This will teach you and your friends not go against me."  
  
Xander having closed his eyes as he prepared himself didn't know that the spell was coming toward him. He quickly felt a sense of danger and hit the deck; he opened his eyes to see the spell fly above him. He kicked off and started toward Malfoy who was more prepared than last time and yelled out the same spell again. Xander rolled to the side and the spell missed. Running closer again he jumped over to the side to miss another spell. "So you decided to attack before the match was started your mistake." Angered by Malfoy's actions, Xander decided to teach him a quick lesson.   
  
Xander finally made it to Malfoy and swept him and as Malfoy stared to fall over he swatted the wand away. Putting his foot on Malfoy's chest. "Looks like you lost, punk."  
  
The class was shocked at Xander's actions, he was not nearly as fast as the professor but he used other tactics to get to his opponent. Malfoy looked up at his opponent with shock and fear, 'Shit, I guess I bit off more than I could chew. Fuck this, I'll get my revenge. No one messes with a Malfoy.'  
  
"Man, you're battier than a vamp if you try to use the same thing over and over again," said Xander as he gave him a cold, dark stare. Though he let out a loud groan when he realized what he said, "Ah man, please tell me I just didn't say something so cheesy."  
  
The class laughed out loud and it continued as people commented how stupid Malfoy was, this mostly coming from the Gryffindor group.  
  
Xander could see the expression on his opponent's face and he knew well what it meant; he had seen it when he was out hunting in Sunnydale a few weeks ago. He had seen many other creatures display such a face. Leaning down in what looked like Xander was about to help him up he said in a low voice to the boy, "I know that face, and the demons I have killed have looked at me like that." Setting the boy on his feet Xander walked away thinking only Malfoy had heard him.  
  
April and Ariana turned toward each other and nodded, both confirming that they heard his comments and that they would bring it up when they cornered him.  
  
The class quieted down quickly as Umbridge stepped forward, "I believe that having students attack each other is not wise. And I have not approved this for your curriculum therefore this will be the last and only time you are able to have your little show." Smiling, she quickly left before he could say anything.  
  
Seeing it was time to leave for their next class everyone exited the classroom, "Xander, can you wait a moment please?" The girls waited for Xander as he walked up to the professor.  
  
Wondering what his grandfather wanted he walked up to him, "What's the what, K-man?"  
  
Katsuhito raised his eyebrow, but that was the only indication of emotional response to the name, "While you did well today with the demonstration, I believe you are letting you anger take control. You have to learn to control it better."  
  
"Yeah, I know. I am working on that. Well, got to go to lunch. See ya later, K-man." He quickly noticed that April and Ariana waited for him and so he left with them.  
  
Katsuhito sat in his chair shaking his head in wonder.  
  
***  
  
As the trio made their way towards the Main Hall for lunch the girl's decided to corner Xander, "Alexander, I believe we should have a private conversation with you soon." Seeing his worried look, she added, "Do not worry, we just want to clear some things up that have come up recently.   
  
"Yes, we promised that we would tutor you. Therefore we must set up a schedule and see what we have to concentrate on." Ariana smiled up at him, she figured if they could get together with him later on then they could ask him the questions that have been popping up.   
  
"Oh okay! Sure how about tonight after dinner, let's get together in the lounge and just figure out how the hell I am going to get this done in only a year." The group then made their way toward the food.  
  
***  
  
Xander was hungry, extremely hungry. He was very unhappy about it too, 'I eat enough for ten people and I am still hungry.' It was slightly comforting that he was in his last class before dinner. It still worried him that he was hungry all the time, he never was this hungry, 'Sure I used to eat a lot, but not like this.' He had figured it had to do with the awakening of his powers, but it seemed strange.  
  
And why was he thinking about food and his hunger instead of paying attention to class. That would be easily answered by just knowing who the professor was, yes you guessed it, and it was Dolores Umbridge. She droned on and on about obeying the Ministry and how the laws where absolute. "Arghh. When will this torture end," suddenly the class quieted down and everyone looked at him. "Oops, did I say that out loud," he nervously laughed.   
  
He looked up at the professor and saw that her face had turned an unnatural red and that her hair stood straight, "Why I never!!" she screamed.  
  
"And you never will," he joked. He was tired of her drivel and tired of listening to her preach about obeying some magical council. He wondered where the council was when the world almost ended so many times back at Sunnydale. The more he had sat in the class the more he had gotten angry, it seemed these people wouldn't help out in the world and stay hidden. They don't even allow anyone near the Hellmouth, 'How the hell do they expect it to stay closed. I guess trying to find books on the Hellmouth didn't help with my attitude here.' What he had found was that wizards and witches where forbidden to go near it and that any contact with it would mean a trip to jail.  
  
The class was unusually quiet not even laughing at the joke, it showed that they where intimidated by the professor. 'I guess having half the class in detention a few days ago would do that.'  
  
"Very well, if you are going to be disrespectful then you have detention for the rest of the week and 10 points from Gryffindor." She smiled at him.  
  
"Yeah, ok." He didn't want to push his luck and get points taken off from his house. He had noticed how serious they took their point system and how much pride they had for their house and that he could respect. 'Damn it, three days of detention, I am too fucking old for this shit. Imagine a 21 year old in detention.'  
  
She started up class and Xander went off to dinner. Pissed that he would miss his meeting with April and Ariana because he had detention. 'Now got to think of a way to get out of it,' he mentally chuckled.  
  
***  
  
After talking to April and Ariana and telling them he would be late because of the detention, Xander went straight to Umbridge's office after dinner. As he made his way towards the office, he started thinking about the school and how the people acted strangely. 'One thing that hasn't changed from any other school is students talking about others behind their backs.' He was slightly bothered how everywhere he went people talked about Harry. He only heard his named mentioned and not what was being said but he found it strange. 'Don't know the kid very much, but he seems nice, though a little withdrawn.' He hadn't talked much to Harry and his pals since they where so young compared to him and they tended to stick together. The few classes they did have together they only talked about class stuff.  
  
It seemed to him that everyone in this school was strange though he did like Pumpkin, 'Its good to at least make some friends.' He was starting to like April, Ariana, and of course his roommate, Pumpkin. Though the girls where a little strange, 'well so am I.'  
  
Just as he turned the corner to the professor's office he had a stroke of genius. He knew how he could get out of the detention, 'If it worked with Troll-face Snyder then it will work here.' Then he drooled a little thinking of his fantasy detention with Miss Calendar, 'I really do miss her, and so does G-man. I truly hope she has her peace now.' Steadying his chaotic thoughts and walked into the class.  
  
'Jeeze, can this office be anymore depressing?' He walked in and tripped over the slight incline in the doorway and crashed into the bookcase knocking down about two dozen books. "Ah man, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to do that. Here let me pick them up." He stared picking them up, but as he straightens the bookshelf, he turned it at the wrong angle and knocked down a few glass orbs that she had on the adjacent bookshelf.  
  
"Shit!" he cursed. He turned toward the angry professor, "I am sorry. I am so sorry," he looked at her worried and started to look upset with himself, "Dumb ass, Dumb ass." He repeated a few times while hitting himself on the head.  
  
Umbridge was speechless she had never met someone so clumsy, "That's fine just leave it there and lets get started with your detention."   
  
"Sure, again I am so sorry," he quickly walked toward the chair sat down and waited for instructions.  
  
Umbridge stared at the mess and then at the young man in front of her and huffed as she took out her trusty punishment quill. "Ok here, I want you to write with this on this parchment. 'I will never interrupt the class. I will keep all comments to myself. I am not to be a blight on the professor.' Do you understand?"  
  
Yeah, he took the quill and wondered where he would get the ink, "Ah where's the ink?"  
  
It's a magical quill it will provide its own ink. Now stop delaying." She snorted.  
  
He placed the quill on the parchment too hard and it broke the tip, "Ah man, sorry about that."  
  
"I have a quill in my robes that I can use and I brought some ink too," He quickly took out the quill and the ink but he didn't have a good grip on it and it went flying on to Umbridge's robe, "Oh no, I am extremely sorry." He ran up to her and tried to clean it up, " I am sorry, here let me clean it up."  
  
"Argghh!!" she screamed, "Just sit down and be quiet while I clean this up." He was sure he had another ink bottle, "I think I have another ink bottle," he stared looking through his robes and stared turning a lot in the chair. Finally the chair gave out and it broke sending him toward the floor.  
  
Umbridge couldn't take it anymore, "Get out!!" she screamed.  
  
"But don't I have to finish my detention," he asked innocently.  
  
"Just get out, don't ever come to my office again!!" she screamed.  
  
"I am deeply sorry, the least I can do is help you clean up. Please let me help," he asked with remorse of his actions.  
  
"No, just leave now, before I change my mind."   
  
Xander quickly left with a smile on his face, 'I knew it would work.' As he walked towards the entrance to Gryffindor Tower he let out a loud, "Woohoo! I got away with it!" It felt good to get one over that old crazy woman.  
  
***  
  
Looking around the common room he spotted the girls with Hermione next to the fireplace. He quickly made his way over, "Hello girls, how are this you evening," he dramatically bowed and sat himself down on one of the chairs around the small table they where using.  
  
Hermione giggled at his antics, while April and Ariana smiled and raised an eyebrow at him. "Hi Xander," said the youngest girl. "Hello Alexander," replied both April and Ariana.  
  
"So we going to get with the studying or are you busy," he smiled at them. He really didn't want to study but he knew he had to get cracking if he was going to finish with this school.  
  
"Very well, first we must see what have you done since we got here. Then we have to see if you organized any of the material for yourself." Seeing him cringe she new the answer, 'Looks like we have our work cut out for us, Kawai,' the young lady sent to Ariana.'  
  
"Ah well, you see. Hehe." He stuttered around. Maybe he should have studied more instead of just look up only defensive spells. "There really isn't an organized way for me to study, I just pick up a book and if I like it, I read it. If it's boring, I don't. It's that simple." 'Yeah like when I was in high school and read my comics instead of my history book. Ah who needs history, when they can read about spidey and the x-men.'  
  
Both girls raised their eyebrow at him, thinking they may know what his problem was, 'he seems to have problems focusing. He uses his humor to ignore his academic responsibilities,' mentally replied Ariana.  
  
'I agree, though there does seem to be other things that may be the reason for his lack of caring for his studies. I say we start off with organizing the studying. I believe Hermione can also help him with the spells from the first few years.' April was very determined to succeed; she took it as a personal challenge to help Alexander. "Then we shall beginning by outlining all the classes for the first two years. You should have no problem finishing those quickly. You have already passed high school and should have some discipline that first years require. Just look at the book they are small and can be easily read in a few days."  
  
"Yes, the trick is to learn to use the magic properly, and to practice," added Hermione. She figured since she was there, she should help. "All you have to do is practice and I will be glad to help you where ever you may fall behind," she blushed as she imagined helping him.  
  
Having no choice in the matter, he figured he'd just go with the flow, "Yeah whatever you think is best, I used to just do what my best bud Willow told me to do anyway. I am used to this." He smiled sadly at them as he recalled the fun times he had with Willow as his study buddy; he really missed those times. 'Yeah everything went to shit, we never got that close again,' he mused.  
  
The group started on setting up a schedule for his studying and also wrote one for themselves. The girls fine tuned their own schedules after they had talked to Hermione about the material for third and fourth year. After an hour and finishing what they set out to do, they decided to take a small break.  
  
As the girls watched Xander, they tried to assess what they so far could tell, 'He has a small attention span. Though he did show great interesting in magic defense and offensive magic; he seems to want to ignore everything else.'  
  
Ariana noticed and agreed, she added 'Yes, also it was a great idea to give him a short break. I believe we will have to work on expanding his short attention span, and show him how to focus better.'   
  
'Yes, we must observe him more and try to figure out what leverage we can use to help him focus, basic meditation techniques may help. Tai Chi?' April asked  
  
'Indeed, that may help his focus and ability to retain the knowledge. Also help him control that anger of his.'  
  
'Very well then we agree.' Now that they had a course of action to take the girls planned on implementing it no matter what Xander's response.  
  
Hermione in the mean time was trying to come up with the courage to talk to Xander, again. She blushed as she watched him just lay back on one of the couches, 'Maybe I should just go and ask him about his home, it must be nice to live in another country.' Nervously she walked up to him, "Can I sit here," she motioned to the place next to him.  
  
"Sure," he smiled up at her and moved over, "So tell me about this wizard stuff. I mean I have some friends back home that knew magic and they never mentioned this school."  
  
She sat there for few minutes thinking it over, "Well I am not sure, that does seem to be strange. Usually the magic school in your country would recruit them, even yourself." She looked up at him.  
  
"Ah, well I am a special case, hehe," he grinned at her. He watched her as her face lit up and it looked like she had a revelation, 'Looks like the wills when she used to hack. Sure miss those old days.'  
  
"Are your friends practitioners, such as Wiccan," when she saw Xander nod she smiled at him, "Ahh, that's why. You see there are two types of magic uses, practioners and natural born wizards/witches. While we can also use gods, artifacts, and other means to gain more power, we contain natural magical energy and ability within ourselves. Without the artifacts, complex spells, and summoning of god/goddesses practioners don't have the power to use magic. They do retain some of the magic, I also read that the real powerful ones can start to drain magic from nature to simulate what our own bodies do to create magic." She said in her 'I know what I am talking about voice' as she shyly smiled at him.  
  
"Ahh ok," trying to understand but not really.  
  
Seeing him looking confused she gave a heavy sigh, 'Just like Harry and Ron.' She spent the next few minutes trying to explain it to him, but it took her using some diagrams until he understood.  
  
April and Ariana caught the conversation and decided to research the topic later on. "So, tell me about where you're from," they heard Hermione ask.  
  
Thinking it over Xander tried to think of what to say, he didn't want to be rude and not answer her. He had already alienated the teachers, he had the feeling doing that to the students and those who tired to be friendly was a bad idea. Thinking quickly, which surprised him, he thought of the best story to tell them. "Hmm, lets see. Well I lived in in a small town in Sunny California, called Sunnydale. Well my town can be said to be just a tad weird, 'yeah that's an understatement'..."   
  
He was cut off from responding by the young girl next to him, "Of course, you live on the Hellmouth. Please continue." He should have been surprised, but then again he had read in one of the law books how going to the Hellmouth was illegal to all wizards and witches. 'Plus this girl is a stickler for detail. Sheesh! She could put Willow to shame.'  
  
*** Sorry to cut it off here but I got stuck.. until next time 


End file.
